On Wednesday, Oct. 28, crews sprayed water on what was left of Wind & Sea Restaurant as they tore it down. Three days later, on Saturday, Oct. 31, most of the remaining Wharf tenants had their last day of business, and the Wharf closed to the public on Nov. 1, according to Dana Point Times.
So for the first time in memory, Dana Point Harbor goes into the holidays without the Wharf. Its December now runs from the parking structure, which opened in 2025, the Island and the water.
What closed, and what moved
Dana Point Times listed the Oct. 31 closures as Turk's, Golden Galleon, Art Sea + Gift Chateau, Frisby Cellars, Proud Mary's, Top Brass and Vintage Yacht Club. Wind & Sea had closed in September. Frisby Cellars said goodbye to the waterfront with a Halloween party called "The Last Boo-rah." The paper reports that it keeps operating at its Rancho Mission Viejo location while the harbor is under construction.
Two operators stayed in the harbor and moved. Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching and Catalina Express now work out of temporary trailers near the harbor parking structure. Co-owner Donna Kalez told Dana Point Times she expected to finish moving into the trailers on Monday, Nov. 2. On the harbor's construction schedule, Dana Point Harbor Partners says both will keep running excursions seven days a week. Harbor businesses outside the Wharf stay open.
The trailers' location matters for December. Every boat-based holiday outing from Dana Wharf this year leaves from beside the parking structure.
The parking structure is the new gathering spot
The three-tiered, 984-stall structure was finished on July 2, 2025, and it still offers up to four hours of free parking.
The Certified Farmers Market sets up just outside the structure every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For the holidays, the harbor is adding an evening market there too. Harbor After Dark, Holiday Edition, is a new holiday night market put together with Modern Makers Mart. It has rotating food trucks and a seasonal drink from Coco Bloom Coffee, and it runs 4 to 8 p.m. at the parking structure. The series calendar lists five Thursdays:
- Nov. 12
- Nov. 19
- Dec. 3
- Dec. 10
- Dec. 17
The Coco Bloom stop is worth knowing about. In July, the Orange County Register reported that its harbor storefront would close with the Wharf and move to Newport Beach. That makes the Thursday market one of the few places in the harbor to get a Coco Bloom drink this season.
The lights go where the harbor is newest
The holiday light display starts Thursday, Nov. 12, the same evening as the first Harbor After Dark market. Dana Point Harbor Partners puts the display at more than 700,000 LED lights. This year it covers the new harbor entrance, the Island and Bump Out Park near Baby Beach. Familiar pieces return, including the whale sculpture, the harbor VW bus and the Merry Kiss Me display. The display stays up through Jan. 10, 2027.
The harbor's July 7 construction notice says the fencing for the next phases keeps the public boardwalk and boater docks open.
The Island also hosts this season's most popular daytime event. The Pet Project Foundation's Santa Paws returns Dec. 12 and 13, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., near the Richard Henry Dana Jr. statue. Holiday pet photos with Santa and the harbor VW bus cost a $15 donation, and all of it goes to the foundation.
December from the water
The water side is the one part of the harbor that keeps adding things this season. The 51st Annual Boat Parade of Lights runs Dec. 11 to 13 and starts at 6:30 p.m. each night. This year's theme is "Dana Point's HARBORITAVILLE." The harbor lists the Island park areas and the boardwalk as public viewing spots. Spectators can also book parade charters with Dana Wharf or Captain Dave's, and the harbor warns these cruises sell out.
Dana Wharf also runs Harbor Holiday Lights Cruises on four dates that bracket the parade weekend.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Nov. 12 | Holiday lights begin; first Harbor After Dark market, 4–8 p.m. | New entrance, Island, Bump Out Park; parking structure |
| Thursday, Nov. 19 | Harbor After Dark | Parking structure |
| Thursday, Dec. 3 | Harbor After Dark | Parking structure |
| Friday, Dec. 4 | Harbor Holiday Lights Cruise | Departs with Dana Wharf |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Harbor Holiday Lights Cruise; La Plaza Park tree lighting, 4:30–5:30 p.m. | Dana Wharf; Lantern District |
| Thursday, Dec. 10 | Harbor After Dark | Parking structure |
| Dec. 11–13 | Boat Parade of Lights, 6:30 p.m. nightly | Island parks, boardwalk, charters |
| Dec. 12–13 | Santa Paws, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. | Island, near the Richard Henry Dana Jr. statue |
| Thursday, Dec. 17 | Final Harbor After Dark | Parking structure |
| Dec. 18–19 | Harbor Holiday Lights Cruise | Departs with Dana Wharf |
Saturday, Dec. 5, is the one day when the harbor and the Lantern District overlap. The City of Dana Point holds its tree lighting at La Plaza Park, 34111 La Plaza, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. That same night is one of Dana Wharf's light-cruise dates, so you can plan the evening around both.
The quieter side of the harbor
For a weekend daytime outing, there is the Ocean Institute at 24200 Dana Point Harbor Drive. It is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and offers cruises and sails along with general admission. Coffee Importers and Rubee June Bakery moved into the former Chambers Gift Shop inside the institute, Dana Point Times reported.
Mariner's Village has changed this year too. Beach Harbor Pizza, Village Market, Bella Bazaar and The Brig were set to close their harbor locations on April 30. Gemmell's closed at the end of 2025. Anyone planning a December meal around the harbor will find a much shorter list of options than it had two holiday seasons ago.
The work behind the fence
The work that closed the Wharf is Phase 4 of the Commercial Core rebuild. It covers about 20,000 square feet of new waterfront buildings, with space for eight new tenants and up to four returning businesses, plus public art, seating and outdoor gathering areas. Phase 3, where landside demolition started in February, will deliver seven waterfront buildings with more than 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, according to the Orange County Register. The Register reported a late-2027 completion target, with tenants open in time for the 2028 Olympics.
On the water, construction is further along. The Marina at Dana Point opened its Phase 12 docks on Sept. 14, 2026, is more than four-fifths through its 15-phase rebuild, and expects Phase 13 on the East Island to finish by the end of 2026. Some of the boats in the Dec. 11 parade will tie up at docks that didn't exist this time last year.
Hotel guests are covered, too. The Dana Point Marina Inn is taking reservations through December 2027. The two proposed new hotels, Dana House and Surf Lodge, are on hold after the County Board of Supervisors deadlocked on the lease restructuring they need, the Orange County Business Journal reported in August.
Our team at DWA Team keeps close track of how changes like the harbor rebuild affect daily life in the coastal neighborhoods we serve, from a Thursday market at the parking structure to which docks are open by parade weekend. If the harbor's changes have you thinking about your own plans on the coast, we'd be glad to talk.
