"The 2026 beneficiaries are Caring and Sharing of South Walton and Children's Volunteer Health Network."
That line from the Rosemary Beach Uncorked FAQ is the most useful sentence on the town's fall calendar. Caring & Sharing comes back three weeks later as a beneficiary of the Holiday Tour of Homes. Children's Volunteer Health Network is also on the charity list for the 30A 10K on Thanksgiving morning. Taken together, Rosemary Beach's three biggest events between mid-November and early December work less like separate parties and more like one fundraising season, each event passing the same causes along to the next.
Three events, two shared causes
Here's how the 2026 beneficiaries line up:
| Event | Date | 2026 beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|
| Rosemary Beach Uncorked | Saturday, Nov. 14 | Caring & Sharing of South Walton, Children's Volunteer Health Network |
| 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Races | Thursday, Nov. 26 | Children in Crisis, Bailey Brigade, Children's Volunteer Health Network, Habitat for Humanity of Walton County |
| Holiday Tour of Homes | Saturday, Dec. 5 | Alaqua Animal Refuge, Caring & Sharing of South Walton |
Caring & Sharing of South Walton has been providing crisis relief in Walton County for more than 30 years, through food and financial assistance, counseling and case management. Children's Volunteer Health Network relies on volunteer dentists and specialists. According to the Uncorked FAQ, it has served more than 23,000 children in Walton and Okaloosa counties since 2005. These are local organizations, so a Rosemary Beach ticket supports groups that work a few miles inland.
It starts with the merchants handing out candy
The season opens on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Participating merchants hand out treats around Town Center for the annual Trick-or-Treat Around Town, and the Kids Halloween Bash runs from 2 to 5 p.m. on the East Long Green. The Halloween day doesn't fund a charity. It's worth mentioning because it shows who carries the rest of the calendar: the businesses around the squares. The same merchants come back three weeks later behind the tasting tables.
Uncorked puts the restaurants behind the stations
Rosemary Beach Uncorked runs Saturday, Nov. 14, from 1 to 4 p.m. It's the event's 15th year, and it has been running since 2010. It's already sold out, but there's a waitlist in case purchased tickets come free. A general ticket covers eleven food and wine tasting stations run by the Merchants of Rosemary Beach, plus entertainment, a swag bag and an etched wine glass.
The event site features these businesses:
- Amavida
- Blue by Night
- CK's Feed and Supply
- Cowgirl Kitchen
- Edward's
- Havana Beach Bar & Grill
- La Crema
- Pescado
- Restaurant Paradis
- Tahona 30A
The site lists ten names and the FAQ describes eleven stations, so treat the list above as featured merchants, not a station-by-station map.
The VIP tier is new this year. It includes the Audi Lounge in Town Hall and a VIP tent on Town Hall Green, both open an extra hour until 5 p.m. VIP guests also get signature cocktails, winemaker Tom Garrett pouring Dakota Shy Winery, bites from Chef Rob McDaniel of Helen in Birmingham, a caviar tasting, and SEC games on big screens in the lounge. All of it supports the two nonprofits at the top of this post.
Blue By Night, the newest name at the tasting tables
Blue by Night is on the Uncorked list, and it's also the newest regular spot in town. In May 2026 the Rosemary Beach Inn announced that its lobby wine bar was open again, Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 9 p.m. The Inn is at 78 Main Street.
The name has history here. In the Inn's announcement, innkeeper Cameron writes that her parents first opened Blue By Night in 2001 as "the finer-dining, dinner-time alter ego of the Summer Kitchen," and that she is reopening it 25 years later "with my own spin." She describes the new version as "a watering hole— where folks can come together for a round of drinks, play some games, and enjoy good old-fashioned human interaction." A bar that reopened in May is now one of the featured merchants at a November fundraiser.
Thanksgiving morning closes 30A
The 30A 10K Thanksgiving Day Races are the biggest test of the season for anyone who lives along the route. The series is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and it says it has raised more than $1 million for charity partners to date. When WMBB covered the 2025 race, it reported that thousands took part in the 14th annual run. In 2026 the race is also the RRCA Florida State Championship 10K, and the organizer notes that Southern Living has named it one of the top 10 turkey trots in the South.
The schedule, which matters more than the medals if you plan to drive anywhere that morning:
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, 11:59 p.m. CST: registration closes for the 1-mile fun run.
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.: packet pickup at The Big Chill. There's no packet pickup on race day.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, 7 a.m.: Highway 30A closes to all traffic.
- 7:30 a.m.: the 10K starts, followed by the 1-mile fun run at 7:35.
- 9:30 a.m.: the 5K starts.
- 10:30 a.m.: 30A reopens. The awards ceremony and post-race party take place in Barrett Square.
The closure runs from East Water Street, where the start and finish line sits in Rosemary Beach, to the 10K turnaround at Bridge Lane just east of The Big Chill. Watersound Parkway is also closed for the 5K route, from 30A north to the Camp Creek Inn entrance. If your household is putting a turkey in the oven while relatives drive in, you can plan around that three-and-a-half-hour window.
The registration fees go to four partners. Children's Volunteer Health Network is the second event this month to name it, alongside Children in Crisis, Bailey Brigade and Habitat for Humanity of Walton County.
The Tour of Homes closes the circuit
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the Rosemary Beach Foundation hosts its 8th annual Holiday Tour of Homes. It's a self-guided walking tour of six homes decorated for the holidays, and the Foundation's Eventbrite listing gives hours of 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from 78 N. Barrett Square. One town event page shows different hours, so the Foundation's ticket page is the one to go by.
A few details from the ticket page:
- Tickets are required for everyone 5 and older, and they're non-refundable.
- The first 550 adult ticket holders get a 2026 commemorative cup.
- Raffle prizes include holiday decor from local merchants, and you don't have to be present to win.
- Advance tickets are encouraged because space is limited.
The beneficiaries are Alaqua Animal Refuge, the no-kill shelter in Freeport, and Caring & Sharing of South Walton. That brings Caring & Sharing's total to two of the three anchor events in under a month, and the merchant raffle brings the town's businesses back in one more time.
What's on every week, and what isn't posted yet
Between the big dates, the weekly routine carries on. The 30A Farmers' Market is listed year-round on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 28 N. Barrett Square. Chapel at the Beach is on the town calendar for Oct. 18 and Oct. 25, from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Blue By Night is open Thursday through Saturday evenings.
As of mid-October, the town hasn't posted 2026 dates for the tree lighting, the Merchant Holiday Open House or Breakfast with Santa. Last year's tree lighting and open house listings were both dated Nov. 28, 2025, the day after Thanksgiving. For this year's dates, check the Rosemary Beach events calendar closer to the holiday.
We follow the Rosemary Beach calendar closely because these weekends shape when the town fills up and when it goes quiet. If you're wondering where your home stands going into the holidays, The Gene Team can give you a straight, local read on it. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
