On Saturday, December 12, at 6 p.m., the 32nd Southport Winterfest Flotilla will leave from Old American Fish and head along the waterfront toward a lighted buoy near Kingsley Street Park. The buoy is new this year, and the boats will round it, weather permitting, and come back. Downtown Southport, Inc. sponsors the parade with the Cape Fear Yacht Club and the City of Southport.
The shoreline those boats pass is in the middle of a rebuild. The City scheduled construction on its Shorefront Improvements Project to begin October 1, and by late October crews were placing stone along East Bay Street. The central segment of the waterfront is scheduled to begin on December 16, four days after the flotilla. On December 17, Blue Cow Grille on East Moore Street serves its last day. Put together, Winterfest 2026 is the last holiday week before both the riverfront and a corner of downtown change shape.
What the Crews Are Building Along Bay Street
The project covers the waterfront along West and East Bay Streets, between South Caswell Avenue and South Atlantic Avenue. City Engineer Bob Jarvis listed the work for the Board of Aldermen at its June 11, 2026 meeting: offshore breakwaters, beach nourishment, dune restoration, native plantings, and rock revetments.
The City received four bids, ranging from about $3.3 million to $4.3 million. Civil Works Contracting, LLC won with the lowest responsive bid of $3,294,674.47, close to the engineer's estimate of $3.3 million. A $5 million grant from the State Emergency Response and Disaster Relief Fund pays for all of it, and Southport put up no local match. The contract carries a one-year warranty and liquidated damages of $500 a day if the work runs past its completion date.
The minutes also show where the equipment sits. Most materials are stored off-site, and the contractor may bring in only a day's worth at a time. The two on-site staging areas are the parking lot beside Oliver's restaurant and the harbor walk area along the park.
The City's anticipated schedule, which it says may shift with weather and field conditions:
| Segment | Area | Anticipated dates |
|---|---|---|
| Segment 1 | Western | Oct. 1, 2026 to Feb. 8, 2027 |
| Segment 2 | Central | Dec. 16, 2026 to March 1, 2027 |
| Segment 3 | Eastern | Feb. 12, 2027 to March 23, 2027 |
The actual order has run east first. The City's October 26 project update said revetment work in Segment 3 was underway, with stone being delivered and placed. East Bay Street was closed between South Davis Street and South Atlantic Avenue, and the closure was expected to last through mid-November. The street reopened briefly for Halloween weekend and the car show. Once the eastern work wraps, the contractor plans to move west to Segment 1 for the breakwaters and the beach and dune construction. So during Winterfest week, the City's plan has crews working the western end of the waterfront.
Nine Days of Winterfest, and the Five Days After
The Winterfest schedule runs from Friday, December 4, through Saturday, December 12. The table below adds the dates that come right after it, because the calendar keeps going once the boats are docked.
| Date | What happens | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6 p.m. | Downtown Tree Lighting Ceremony | Whittler's Bench |
| Dec. 4 to 12 | Sixth Annual Storefront Showcase, vote for decorated storefronts | Downtown businesses |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 1 p.m. | Southport Winterfest Tea, tickets required | Southport Community Building |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 3 p.m. | Gingerbreads & Gigawatts | Brunswick Energy & Education Center |
| Sat., Dec. 5, 6 to 8 p.m. | Shop with a Cop Concert | Cape Side Brewing |
| Sun., Dec. 6, 2 to 4 p.m. | Pet Pictures with Santa | Indian Trail Meeting Hall |
| Tue., Dec. 8, 4 to 7 p.m. | Santa's Workshop | Franklin Square Gallery |
| Tue., Dec. 8, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Winterfest-ival of Trees | Franklin Square Park |
| Wed., Dec. 9, 3:30 to 5 p.m. | The State Port Pilot Annual Cookie Contest | Southport Community Building |
| Thu., Dec. 10, at dusk | "Polar Express" movie | Fort Johnston Garrison Lawn |
| Fri., Dec. 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Once More Bookstore's Holiday Open House | Once More Bookstore |
| Fri., Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m. | Light Up the Night Christmas Parade | Moore and Howe, back to the Southport Fire Station |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Winter Craft Festival | Bay Street |
| Sat., Dec. 12, 6 p.m. | Winterfest Flotilla | Southport Waterfront |
| Wed., Dec. 16 | Segment 2 shoreline construction scheduled to begin | Central waterfront |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Blue Cow Grille's planned closing day | 108 E. Moore St. |
Most of the first week happens inland. Franklin Square, the Community Building, Indian Trail Meeting Hall, and the Fort Johnston lawn sit away from the Bay Street work zone. The Shop with a Cop concert has also moved. The 2025 schedule had it at Franklin Square Park, and this year it's at Cape Side Brewing.
December 5 is a busy day for anyone splitting time between towns. Oak Island's Christmas by the Sea parade starts at 2 p.m. in front of Town Hall on East Oak Island Drive and ends at McGlamery Street. That's an hour after the Winterfest Tea starts and a few hours before the evening concert in Southport.
The Saturday That Runs on Bay Street
December 12 is the one day Winterfest moves to the shoreline. The Winter Craft Festival takes over Bay Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Eventeny listing for the City's Winterfest event puts it at Southport Waterfront Park, 146 E. Bay St., and notes street parking only. That puts the craft festival on the same stretch of East Bay Street where the eastern revetment work happened this fall.
The rest of that Saturday fills in around it:
- Winterfest Performing Arts, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., on the Fort Johnston Lawn
- Old Brunswick County Jail Museum Tours at the Old Brunswick County Jail
- Southport Train and Toy Show, noon to 5 p.m., at Indian Trail Meeting Hall
- Spark the Season Holiday Party, 1 to 5 p.m., at the Southport Community Building
- Southport Annual Holiday Tour of Homes, Friday 1 to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are sold through the Southport Historical Society's website or in person at the Fort Johnston Visitor Center and Museum.
The flotilla closes the night at 6 p.m. Downtown Southport, Inc. suggests bringing chairs and blankets. Cape Fear Radio will broadcast the parade live, and students from the Southport Elementary School Art Program will judge the sail and power boats. Their artwork hangs at the NC Maritime Museum at Southport through December, so the flotilla stays on view after the boats go home.
The new buoy near Kingsley Street Park pushes the route's turnaround farther along the waterfront. Kingsley Park and Fort Johnston appear near each other on the Downtown Southport walking map, at the far end from American Fish Co. Viewers along the full length of the riverfront get boats passing in both directions.
The City posts project updates on its Shoreline Improvements Project page and sends alerts through TextMyGov. That's where any changes to Bay Street access during Winterfest week will appear.
The Last December for Two Moore Street Regulars
The Storefront Showcase asks people to walk downtown and vote on decorated windows from December 4 to 12. Two of those storefronts are doing it for the last time.
The StarNews reported on October 20 that Duck, Duck, Goose is preparing to close in December 2026 after 20 years downtown. A few days earlier, the StarNews reported that Blue Cow Grille at 108 E. Moore St. plans to close on December 17 as owner Sheila Barbee retires. In eight years, the restaurant built a following for its burgers, and the menu also covers sandwiches, salads, tacos, and pork rinds.
The building's next chapter already has a plan. The StarNews story says new owner Noah Rudolph, who started OKI Scoop Shop & Donuts at 18 and later added Beach Break Bowls in Oak Island, plans three businesses there:
- Southport Donuts & Ice Cream, bringing doughnuts back to a building where an earlier business also sold them
- A Beach Break Bowls location on Moore Street, with bowls and smoothies that can be dairy-free, gluten-free, or sugar-free
- A Southport-focused charm bar and permanent jewelry shop
Rudolph told the StarNews the building dates to 1908, so updates come first. "We're really trying to keep the charm and character of the buildings while giving each business its own feel," he said. He's aiming to open in early 2027.
Early 2027 also has a date on the waterfront. The City expects the shoreline project, with its breakwaters, rebuilt dunes, and native plantings, to be finished by March 31, 2027.
If you own a home near the waterfront and you're wondering how the shoreline work or the new Moore Street businesses might matter to its value come spring, Turn-Key Realty can walk you through it, block by block. Get Your Home Valuation, and we'll give you a straight read on where your Southport home stands before the 2027 season starts.
