Viera's Holidays Have a New Lakeside Stop This Year. Here's How the Season Splits Across Town

What does Viera's holiday calendar hold after the parade? The town's two best-known holiday traditions are The Avenue's tree lighting and the Light Up Viera parade on Stadium Parkway, and both are single nights. This year they fall on Nov. 20 and Nov. 28, eight days apart.

The new piece is Lakeside at Viera Town Center, the park at 2431 Town Center Ave. where Lakeside Social opened to the public on Aug. 27. Its holiday calendar works differently. Instead of one big evening, it has dates that repeat. The last of them lands on Dec. 23, and that keeps Viera's season going for almost a month after the parade crowds go home.

The kickoff fits into eight days

The two big nights still open the season. They just happen close together.

• Friday, Nov. 20, The Avenue Viera. Merry & Bright runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Santa and Mrs. Claus lead the countdown to the lighting of the 40-foot tree in Central Park at 7:55 p.m. The evening also has a DJ dance party, a Classical Movements Collective ballet performance at 5:30 p.m. outside AMC near the Splash Pad, and a reindeer food station in the breezeway near LOFT. The event is complimentary, and The Avenue asks guests to register in advance.
• Saturday, Nov. 28, Stadium Parkway. The Light Up Viera Christmas Parade opens with fireworks at 6 p.m., and the parade steps off right after.

The parade's early date is on purpose. Lindsey Deaton is executive director of Brevard County Sheriff's Office Charity, Inc., which is hosting the parade for the third year. She told Viera Voice that "it's the first thing that kind of kicks off the Christmas season in Brevard. We do it early for that reason."

The kickoff weekend is also when The Avenue's longest-running holiday event is in full swing. Santa Visits in Central Park run from Nov. 14 through Dec. 24. The schedule includes booked photo sessions, a sensory-friendly session, and complimentary visits on set dates. If you like to cook, Sur La Table at The Avenue has its Global Holiday Feast class on Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 7 to 9 p.m.

What Lakeside adds after the parade

Lakeside's season is built from recurring dates. In its September President's Corner, the Central Viera Community Association set the pattern for the fall. The Lakeside Night Market falls on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, and Sunday Brunch and Market falls on the second Sunday. Add the association's one big holiday booking for the park, and the calendar from Thanksgiving week onward looks like this:

The Night Market listing promises local vendors, fresh produce, artisans, food trucks, cold drinks, live music and sunset views by the lake. The Nov. 25 market falls on the evening before Thanksgiving. The Dec. 23 market is two days before Christmas. The Sunday brunch market on Dec. 13 brings local artists, crafters and farmers to the lawn. The Melbourne Orchestra Christmas Concert on Dec. 20 is the one holiday concert CVCA has named for the park. Recurring dates can shift, so check the Lakeside Social events calendar before you head over on a given Wednesday.

Two operators share one lawn

Before your first visit, it helps to know who runs what. The Viera Company built the park, and it includes a performance pavilion, an event lawn and about 1,000 feet of waterfront. CVCA programs the free community events there. Lakeside Social, run by Rogue Wave Hospitality, is the exclusive food and beverage operator for the whole park and is open daily.

That split shapes how a concert night or market evening works. CVCA's event rules for the park say no food or drinks can be brought in, and no additional food trucks or food and drink vendors are allowed. Dinner comes from Lakeside Social's own kitchens. The four signature concepts are DOUGH Pizza Co., BeeG's Sweet Shack, 4th Street Fillin' Station and Modern Asian Curated Street Foods, and two more rotating concepts feature local chefs. Drinks come from a wave-shaped open-air bar with 34 seats and 16 draft taps pouring Florida craft beer, plus a second event bar next to the pavilion for concert nights. The venue is designed for about 1,000 guests.

Parade night still needs a plan

Lakeside spreads the season out, but parade night is still the biggest crowd of the season. For Saturday, Nov. 28, here is the sequence as Viera Voice laid it out:

1. Roads in the parade area close at 5:30 p.m. Deaton suggests arriving early.
2. Fireworks go up at 6 p.m. from an area next to Viera Middle School.
3. The parade starts right after, beginning at Judge Fran Jamieson Way and Stadium Parkway.
4. It heads down Stadium Parkway, turns left onto Viera Boulevard, and ends at Manatee Elementary.

One change this year is restrooms in the Viera High parking lot, which Deaton called an addition. More than 30 floats were registered by late October, and registration was still open then.

Before then, the 42nd Space Coast State Fair runs through Sunday, Nov. 15, at Space Coast Daily Park, 5775 Stadium Parkway, according to Space Coast Daily. That is the same stretch of road the parade lines up on 13 days later.

December's neighborhood-scale dates

Between the Lakeside markets, a few smaller events fill in December. Each serves a narrower group than the parade does.

Very Merry Viera, Saturday, Dec. 5. CVCA's own holiday party runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at North Solerno Park, 5225 Tavistock Drive, not at Lakeside. It has inflatables, food trucks, a vendor market, music and activities. The association lists it as free for CVCA residents and their guests. Details are on the Very Merry Viera event page.

Run Run Santa, Saturday, Dec. 19. The one-mile Viera race starts at 7:30 a.m. at Calvary Chapel, 2852 Fellowship Place.

Brevard Zoo, all season. The zoo's new Holiday Lights runs Nov. 20 through Jan. 2. It features about a million lights, themed displays, an illuminated ornament and tree farm, a nearly 11-foot lit snowman, carolers, shows and food. Daytime Jolly Days run Dec. 19 to 23, and a Florida resident senior discount runs Dec. 1 to 24.

The week before Christmas is the fullest

Put every calendar together and the most crowded stretch on it runs from Dec. 19 through Dec. 24. It starts with Run Run Santa on Saturday morning and Jolly Days at the zoo. The Melbourne Orchestra plays Lakeside on Sunday evening, Dec. 20. The Night Market returns on Wednesday, Dec. 23, from 4 to 8 p.m., and Santa's last day in The Avenue's Central Park is Thursday, Dec. 24. Holiday Lights at the zoo runs every one of those dates.

If you're curious how a new gathering spot like Lakeside factors into what Viera homes are worth, In The Home Zone Realty is glad to talk it through. Ask Doug or Ronda for a free home valuation, and we'll give you a straight local read whenever you're ready.