On the morning of Tuesday, October 13, city officials, the Park Avenue District and the project team met at the corner of Garfield and Park avenues to mark the end of Phase 1 of the Park Avenue Refresh. They chose that corner because it is the southern edge of the finished work. City of Winter Park media alert North of Garfield, the avenue now has new streetlights, repaired sidewalks, enlarged planters and new live oaks. South of Garfield, along Central Park, it looks as it has since the last streetscape restoration in the late 1990s.
That Garfield corner matters more in December than at any other time of year. Winter Park's three biggest holiday nights all reach the stretch between Garfield and New England avenues. Those are the same blocks where Phase 2 construction is expected to start in January 2027. The 2026 season falls in the gap between the two phases. The north end is complete, and the Central Park blocks will be work zones within weeks.
Three Nights That Cross Garfield
The holiday calendar runs over three consecutive evenings and mornings in the first week of December. Each event touches both sides of the line where Phase 1 stops.
| Date | Event | Where it happens | Which side of Garfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Dec. 3, 6:15 to 8:30 p.m. | Christmas in the Park, Morse Museum | Northern section of Central Park near Garfield and Park | Right at the boundary, beside the Phase 2 blocks |
| Friday, Dec. 4, 5 to 9 p.m. | Winter on the Avenue | Central Park, with Park Avenue closed to traffic for a street party | Both sides |
| Saturday, Dec. 5, 9 to 10:30 a.m. | 74th "Ye Olde Hometown" Christmas Parade | Park Avenue from Cole south to New England, ending at Pennsylvania | Starts in Phase 1, runs through Phase 2, ends in the Phase 3 corridor |
According to Visit Orlando's listing, Christmas in the Park is free and held on Thursday, December 3. The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art sets up in the northern section of Central Park near Garfield and Park avenues. The concert ends at about 8 p.m., and the Tiffany windows stay lit until 8:30. Put another way, the season's quietest evening happens a few steps from the corner where officials marked the end of Phase 1.
Friday Night Puts the Whole Avenue on Foot
Winter on the Avenue is the night that tests the finished blocks the hardest. The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and the City of Winter Park host it together. AdventHealth & Rothman and Massey Services are the presenters, and GEICO and Porsche Orlando are supporting sponsors. The Chamber's 2026 page says Park Avenue "will become a pedestrian plaza for a festive street party." Belles & Bows from Central Florida Vocal Arts will carol along the avenue, and stilt-walking elves will move up and down it.
The evening is spread out. The tree lighting takes place in Central Park just east of the Winter Park train station, with Mayor Sheila DeCiccio leading the countdown and Rabbi Dovid Dubov of Chabad Orlando leading the Chanukah menorah lighting. The snow area for families is at the corner of Morse Boulevard and Park Avenue. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at 6:30 p.m. with help from Winter Park Fire-Rescue and stay for visits until 8:00. The Enzian Theater and the Community Redevelopment Agency run Popcorn Flicks in the park. The Morse Museum is free from 4 p.m. that Friday, with live music from 5 to 8.
Further down, the Chamber's page still dates the art-competition announcement to "Friday, Dec. 5." That line was carried over from last year. In 2026, December 4 is the Friday, and the page header confirms the date.
The snow corner is worth noting for another reason. The city's project manager has named Morse Boulevard as one of two major Phase 2 intersections with "unique features that will need to be addressed." Bungalower reported that the other is New England Avenue, which is where the parade turns.
What Changed on the Blocks North of Garfield
From January 20 to mid-October, crews rebuilt the avenue from Webster to Garfield with $2.5 million in CRA funding approved in August 2025. Work moved one or two blocks at a time, and sidewalks stayed open the whole way. Much of what changed is hard to see in daylight. In December, after dark, it shows.
- Lighting. Bungalower reported that Phase 1 includes 110 custom "smart" light poles. The city's fall Winter Park Update describes them as built for Wi-Fi, security cameras, audio equipment, hanging flower baskets and street banners. Each pole carries a smart cell that alerts the city when a light flickers, dims or goes out. The new light heads are dark-sky fixtures that point light down at the sidewalks and street.
- Crossings. The city's newsletter says the new bump-outs at the Cole and Canton intersections shorten crosswalks and let pedestrians see past parked cars, and that they visibly slow traffic. Bollards and planter pots add more protection at those corners.
- Below ground. Crews pulled new conduit for irrigation, electric and fiber along the full length of Phase 1, and installed stormwater pipes and basins at selected spots to drain the avenue after heavy rain.
- Trees and planters. Tree wells were air-spaded to clear decades of buildup around roots. Raised planters were restored, and some were enlarged to give the trees room to grow.
The project page has before-and-after photos of the corners at Cole, Canton and Garfield. Comparing them with the blocks south of Garfield shows what the next phase is meant to change.
Saturday's Parade Covers All Three Phases
The 74th Annual Winter Park Christmas Parade is on Saturday, December 5, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The Chamber calls it the oldest continuous holiday parade in Central Florida. More than 80 organizations take part, including marching bands, police and fire departments and scouting groups, and Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute is the presenting sponsor.
The route has stayed the same. Mapped against the construction phases, it goes like this:
- Cole Avenue to Garfield Avenue. The parade starts on finished Phase 1 blocks, including the rebuilt Cole and Canton corners with their shorter crossings and new bollards.
- Garfield Avenue to New England Avenue. It continues south along Central Park, past the restaurants and shops on the east side of the street. This is all Phase 2 territory.
- New England Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue. The parade turns at New England and ends at Pennsylvania. Phase 3, from New England to Fairbanks, is scheduled for 2028.
January Moves the Work to the Central Park Blocks
Phase 2 will be harder than Phase 1. The Garfield to New England stretch has Central Park on its west side and a dense row of storefronts on its east side. Bungalower named Briarpatch, Prato, Tabla Indian Restaurant and Lululemon among the businesses there. When the City Commission approved the design contract in February, Clarissa Howard, the city's communications director and the project's manager, told Bungalower how the city plans to approach those blocks:
"As we approach the heavy commercial areas of the Avenue, we will need to be as diligent on communication with the merchants on construction activity and also when we establish the construction zones making sure to keep pedestrian walkways to each merchant along Phase 2."
In the same report, Howard said Central Park keeps the work from affecting shopping and dining on the west side of the avenue, and that the city will work with the organizers of events such as the Sidewalk Art Festival on what construction is happening at event time. Alex Stringfellow of Stringfellow Planning & Design, the lead urban planner since the project began, said the design team plans to widen tree beds around the large oaks with bulb-outs like the ones that worked in Phase 1. He also said the sidewalk near Briarpatch might be widened because of how the road curves there.
The Commission voted 5-0 for Stringfellow's $240,250 contract to cover design, project management and community engagement for Phase 2. That contract does not include construction. The CRA's fiscal 2026-27 budget packet sets aside $3.5 million for Phase II, within a three-phase total that Bungalower reported is projected at $8.5 million. The city has not yet published a closure order or parking plan for Phase 2. During Phase 1, extra parking was added on Morse Boulevard between New York and Virginia avenues. The city posts updates and runs an eNewsletter at cityofwinterpark.org/ParkAveRefresh.
The first week of December uses the finished north end and the not-yet-rebuilt Central Park blocks together, and that combination will not happen again. From January, the blocks between Garfield and New England become the city's next work zone, and the dates for those closures are still to be announced.
At Danholm Collection, we track Park Avenue's phases because a street's own timeline affects the homes and errands around it. If you want to talk through how the Refresh schedule bears on a Winter Park property you own or are considering, Book Your Strategy Consultation.
