Dana Point Harbor Partners set November 1 as the day the Wharf closes to the public. That's when Phase 4 construction takes over the spot where generations of visitors bought bait, ate breakfast before a fishing trip, and walked the boardwalk after the boat parade. The holiday season is still going ahead. It has moved about a hundred steps uphill, to the three-tiered parking structure at the corner of Golden Lantern and Dana Point Harbor Drive.
That building opened in July 2025 as the first finished piece of the commercial core rebuild. In the 2026 season it is also the place where you check in for a whale trip, browse the Thursday night market, and park for the boat parade. If you know that going in, the harbor's holidays are easy to plan.
What closes on the Wharf, and what stays open
Dana Point Harbor Partners told The Log in July that "the Wharf will close to the public effective November 1, 2026, with all businesses terminating operations by October 31, 2026." Wind & Sea closed earlier, on September 15, so abatement and demolition could begin on Building 1. Buildings 2 through 5 had a final day of business on October 31.
Each business has a different next step:
- Frisby Cellars & Brewing is serving customers at its Rancho Mission Viejo tasting room, about nine miles from the harbor.
- Coco Bloom Coffee has a new café planned for this winter at 1500 W. Balboa Blvd. in Newport Beach.
- Top Brass and Proud Mary's were expected to end operations on October 31, when the Wharf closed.
- Vintage Yacht Club is looking at relocation options nearby.
- Wind & Sea, Turk's, Art Sea Gift Chateau, Golden Galleon and Frisby Cellars are still in talks with Burnham-Ward Properties about places in the finished project.
These closures come after an earlier round. Beach Harbor Pizza, Village Market, Bella Bazaar and The Brig closed their harbor locations on April 30, 2026. The harbor's online dining directory still lists some of these as open, so trust the dated closure notices over the directory.
Plenty of the harbor stays open to the public. The Log lists the boardwalk, Baby Beach, the Dana Point Fishing Pier, the Embarcadero, the launch ramp, the fuel dock and the bait barge as staying open through construction. Businesses outside the Wharf are operating as usual, including Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari, the Ocean Institute and Pure Watersports.
The parking structure takes over the Wharf's jobs
The businesses that keep operating mostly move to the parking structure. Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching's move into temporary trailers next to the structure is set for November 1, and its fishing trips, whale watching, cruises and private charters will keep running. Catalina Express is moving to temporary trailers too, and the harbor's construction page says both operators will run excursions seven days a week.
For the Hansen family, the trailers are a familiar start. Donna Kalez, co-owner of Dana Wharf, told The Log:
"It's a full-circle moment for us. Our founder, my father Don Hansen, launched the business from a trailer in 1971 while the original harbor was under construction."
The Wednesday Certified Farmers Market is also moving. It runs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the surface lot next to the structure. The structure's parking rules are simple. Its address is 799 Harbor Way, the first four hours are free if spaces are available, and Dana Wharf and Catalina Express customers park on level three. Parking on level three for a holiday cruise puts you a short walk from the check-in trailer.
Thursday nights belong to the structure
The new event that shows the shift most clearly is Harbor After Dark, Holiday Edition. It's a holiday night market curated with Modern Makers Mart, held at the parking structure from 4 to 8 p.m. It has rotating food trucks and a seasonal drink stand from Coco Bloom Coffee. The harbor's series calendar lists five Thursdays:
- November 12
- November 19
- December 3
- December 10
- December 17
November 12 is also the night the lights go on. Dana Point Harbor Partners' Happy Harbor Days display, which uses more than 700,000 LEDs, turns on that Thursday. This year the displays are on the new harbor entrance, the Island, and Bump Out Park near Baby Beach. The whale sculpture, the harbor VW bus and the Merry Kiss Me arch are all coming back. Every lit area is either part of the finished rebuild or outside the fence line, so you can walk the whole display without coming near the Phase 4 site. Leave the car at the structure, walk the entrance lights, then head down to the Island and Baby Beach. You can do all of that within the four free hours.
Weekends move to the Island and the water
Daytime weekend events are on the Island, mostly on the lawn in front of the Richard Henry Dana Jr. Statue. The boats leave from the trailers by the structure. Here are the Island events and holiday cruises, grouped by where each one happens:
| Where | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| Parking structure | Harbor After Dark, Holiday Edition | Thursdays Nov 12 to Dec 17, 4–8 p.m. |
| Entrance, Island, Bump Out Park | Happy Harbor Days lights | From Thursday, Nov 12 |
| Dana Pride, departs from Dana Wharf | Boat Rides with Santa | Dec 5 & 6, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Dana Wharf cruise | Harbor Holiday Lights Cruise | Dec 4, 5, 18 or 19 |
| Island, near the Dana statue | Santa Paws with Pet Project Foundation | Dec 12 & 13, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Dana Point Fishing Pier | Chanukah menorah, 12 feet | Dec 14–22 |
| Island, near the Dana statue | Modern Makers Mart: Holiday Edition | Sat, Dec 19, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Island, near the Dana statue | Little Folk Club | Dec 19 |
A few details matter for planning. Boat Rides with Santa require reservations, and proceeds go to Soroptimist of Capistrano Bay. Santa Paws photos with Santa and the VW bus cost a $15 donation, and all of it goes to the Pet Project Foundation. The menorah is lit with the Chabad Jewish Center of Dana Point. The Saturday market on December 19 has more than 50 vendors and welcomes pets and kids.
The Whale on the Wharf scavenger hunt starts December 1. The harbor's page still describes the stops as being "throughout the Wharf and the Village," which was written before the Wharf closed. Check the current list of participating businesses before you pick up a game card.
Parade week will be busiest at the structure
The 51st Annual Boat Parade of Lights runs December 11, 12 and 13, starting at 6:30 p.m. each night. This year's theme is "Dana Point's Harboritaville." The Log reports $10,000 in cash prizes for participating boats. It also reports first-come parking throughout the harbor, with four free hours in the new structure.
The harbor's guidance points shore viewers to the Island park areas and the boardwalk. Visit Dana Point describes the boats circling the harbor and suggests the walkways near Baby Beach, Island Way and Lantern Bay Park. The structure is the closest parking for every one of those viewing spots, and it's also where charter guests check in, so parade nights will be the busiest of the season there. Lantern Bay Park is above the harbor, which makes it the viewing spot farthest from that crowd.
You can also watch from the water. Dana Wharf and Captain Dave's both run boat parade charters, and the harbor recommends booking early because they sell out. Note that the harbor's parking page still has a notice for the "50th" parade, and its linked holiday map is the 2025 version. Use the dates above.
Whale season starts at the trailers
Gray whale season overlaps with all of this. Dana Wharf puts gray whale season at November through May, and its whale and dolphin trips run year-round. Captain Dave's gives December through May as the usual window, with occasional sightings as early as November. Gray whales may be scarce in November, so plan on better odds in December.
The Ocean Institute runs its own trips on the R/V Sea Explorer. Its Whale and Marine Life Tour goes out Saturday, November 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and it looks for marine mammals that include migrating gray whales. More tours are scheduled through December on the Ocean Institute series calendar.
The city's own events are uphill and away from construction. The La Plaza Park Tree Lighting is Saturday, December 5, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Santa's Jolly Trolley makes stops around town the same day. The Pines Park Tree Lighting follows on Monday, December 7, also from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. On December 5, you could go to the La Plaza lighting in the afternoon, then drive down to the harbor for an evening Harbor Holiday Lights Cruise.
When the Wharf comes back
The Wharf being reworked is a smaller site. Dana Point Harbor Partners says Phase 4 will add 20,000 square feet of waterfront buildings for eight new tenants and up to four returning ones, along with parkscapes, public art and event space. The plan is to open the whole commercial core at once, with new storefronts scheduled to open before the LA28 Summer Olympics. The Orange County Register reported a completion target in the fourth quarter of 2027. If that schedule holds, the 2026 and 2027 holiday seasons will both run from the parking structure and the Island, and the new Wharf would be ready for the 2028 parade.
Every phase of construction changes how the harbor works day to day, and it also changes how the homes above it are shown and valued. To talk through how the rebuild affects a property near Dana Point Harbor, or how to present one during construction, schedule a consultation with ER² For You.
