The Wharf Closes Before the Harbor Lights Go Up. Here's How the Holidays Work at Dana Point Harbor This Year.

In 1971 Dana Point Harbor was still being built, and Dana Wharf Sportfishing sold tickets out of a trailer while the waterfront went up around it. Founder Don Hansen signed his lease the same day as Bob Mardian of Wind & Sea Restaurant, The Log reported. Mardian had to wait for his building to be finished. Hansen only needed to sell a ticket and send people out to the boats.

Fifty-five years on, Wind & Sea has already closed, and Dana Wharf is back in a trailer. "We're full circle," co-owner Donna Kalez told The Log. The comparison holds up for this whole holiday season. With the Wharf's shops and restaurants behind a construction fence, the harbor's holidays run on the businesses that put people on the water and on the public ground along it. Monarch Beach's neighboring harbor looks a lot like it did in 1971, only with 700,000 LED lights.

What closes this weekend, and what doesn't

According to the harbor's construction schedule, the businesses left in Wharf Buildings 2 through 5 have their final day on Saturday, October 31. Wind & Sea closed earlier, on September 15, to make way for Building 1. The Log's report on the closures says the Wharf itself closes to the public on November 1. The names expected to stay open through October 31 include Art Sea Gift Chateau, Frisby Cellars, Golden Galleon Boutique, Turk's, Coco Bloom Coffee, Top Brass, Proud Mary's and Vintage Yacht Club.

The harbor operations staying open through construction, as listed by The Log:

• On the water: Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching, Catalina Express, Capt. Dave's Dana Point Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari, Pure Watersports, Dana Point Yacht Club, Dana West Yacht Club and Aventura Sailing Association
• Public ground: the boardwalk, Baby Beach, the Dana Point Fishing Pier, the Embarcadero, the launch ramp, the fuel dock and the bait barge
• Everything else: the Ocean Institute, plus the Certified Farmers Market, which keeps its Wednesday schedule at a new spot near the parking structure

Kalez put Dana Wharf's commitment plainly to The Log: "We're not going to be closed even for a day." She expects the company to work out of the temporary setup for about 15 months, though the construction schedule could change that. The holiday season falls well inside that window.

The parking structure is the new front door

Since the boats now check in near the garage, that's where a harbor evening begins this year. Dana Wharf and Catalina Express passengers report to temporary check-in offices near the parking structure. From there, staff direct or escort them to their vessels. Dana Wharf is also keeping a smaller retail area on site.

The harbor's parking page has the details for 799 Harbor Way:

The same page lists free public parking along Dana Way near the Yacht Club, at Baby Beach, off Cove Road, and on parts of Harbor Drive and Golden Lantern. All of it is subject to availability, and visitors are asked to follow posted signs and staff directions. Four free hours covers a 90-minute parade cruise with time on either side. A long dinner afterward could push past it.

The lights moved to where the public can still walk

Dana Point Harbor Partners turns on the light display Thursday, November 12. The 2026 exhibits cover three areas: the new harbor entrance, the Island, and Bump Out Park near Baby Beach. None of the three is inside the Wharf construction zone, and all three are on the list of spaces that stay open. Returning pieces include a whale sculpture, the harbor VW bus, the #happyharbordays sign and Merry Kiss Me. The official Happy Harbor Days listing has the display running through January 10, 2027.

One holiday tradition doesn't fit the new layout. The harbor's holiday page still describes Whale on the Wharf, a scavenger hunt starting December 1 with stops "throughout the Wharf and the Village." The only detailed event page for the hunt covers December 2025, and its Wharf stops close this weekend. If the children in your house look forward to it, check with the harbor before promising them a game card. The same goes for the holiday map, which still links to a 2025 guide.

Parade nights work best from the water

The 51st Boat Parade of Lights runs December 11 through 13 and starts at 6:30 p.m. each night. This year's theme is "Harboritaville," and boaters are competing for up to $10,000 in cash prizes. On shore, the harbor sends viewers to the Island park areas and the boardwalk. Both stay open, and the Island also has part of the light display.

The two charter operators that kept running through construction are also the two selling parade cruises:

The harbor's own advice is to book early because cruises sell out. A simple parade night this year looks like this:

1. Book a cruise with Dana Wharf or Capt. Dave's, and note which check-in point goes with your operator.
2. If you're on a Dana Wharf boat, park on Level 3 of the structure at 799 Harbor Way.
3. Get there with time to check in before the 6:30 p.m. departure.
4. If you're watching from shore, head for the Island parks or the boardwalk, and walk past the lights on the way.

For parade-night shuttles, use the harbor's current notices. The trolley notice now on the parking page refers to last year's 50th parade.

A calendar built around the garage and the Island

Most of the season's other events take place where the parade and lights are, at the parking structure and on the Island:

• Nov. 12: Harbor lights turn on.
• Nov. 26: The Dana Point Turkey Trot returns to the harbor on Thanksgiving.
• Dec. 3, 4 to 8 p.m.: Harbor After Dark brings food trucks, seasonal drinks and makers' stalls to the parking structure.
• Dec. 5 and 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Boat Rides with Santa aboard the Dana Pride. The December 5 listing describes 20-minute rides that benefit Soroptimist of Capistrano Bay.
• Dec. 5 and Dec. 7: City tree lightings at La Plaza Park and Pines Park. Visit Dana Point says to check with the City for times.
• Dec. 11 to 13, 6:30 p.m.: Boat Parade of Lights.
• Dec. 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.: The Holiday Edition market brings more than 50 vendors to the Island near the Richard Henry Dana statue.

The Ocean Institute at 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive also stays open, with general admission on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. That makes it an easy morning stop before a Santa boat ride.

The whale boats keep sailing into whale season

Keeping the boats running matters most once the holidays begin. Visit Dana Point's winter guide describes gray whale season as running from December into spring, as the whales travel south toward Baja. The harbor says Dana Wharf's whale watching will run seven days a week from the temporary trailers during construction. Capt. Dave's is staying open on its side of the harbor too. Out-of-town guests can still go see whales. Dana Wharf passengers check in at the trailers by the garage, and Capt. Dave's passengers check in upstairs at Dolphin Deck.

Dinner is across Golden Lantern

The Wharf restaurants that used to fill the hours before and after the parade close October 31. Kalez's suggestion, as The Log reported it, is a short walk across Golden Lantern to Dana Marina Plaza. The restaurants, shops and service businesses there aren't affected by the revitalization. Some of the harbor's own dining and takeout pages still list Wharf businesses as open, so check before you go. The new storefronts are a later chapter. The Log reports that Phase 4 will bring eight new tenants and up to four returning ones, with openings coordinated ahead of the LA28 Olympics.

With more than 51 years in coastal Orange County real estate, Connie keeps up with the harbor rebuild on behalf of clients who live nearby. If you'd like to talk through what the harbor's next chapter could mean for a home in Monarch Beach, Connie Maxsenti would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect: Schedule Your Free Consultation.