At a glance
- When
- Saturday 28 November 2026, 4pm to 9pm (Melbourne time, daylight saving)
- Where
- Frankston City Centre and Frankston Oval, around Davey and Young Streets
- Parade
- Starts 4:30pm at the corner of High and Young Streets and travels towards Davey Street
- Fireworks
- Tree lighting and fireworks at 8:45pm, launched from behind the Civic Centre
- Roads closed
- 6am Saturday to 2am Sunday: Davey Street (Baxter Street to Nepean Highway), Young Street (High Street to Playne Street), Baxter Street (Davey Street to Park Street)
- Who it’s for
- Families heading to Frankston for the Christmas Festival, and drivers or bus passengers who normally use those streets on Saturday 28 November
- What to do now
- Plan to arrive by train or park well outside the closed streets, and check the council event page in the week before for updates
- Last checked
- Monday 26 October 2026, against the Frankston City Council event page on Imagine Frankston
- Not yet confirmed
- Food and beverage line-up and further activities (not yet published), and any weather-change plan
Frankston’s Christmas Festival runs from 4pm to 9pm on Saturday 28 November 2026, and the streets around it start closing at 6am that morning. The parade leaves High Street at 4:30pm, and the tree lighting and fireworks are at 8:45pm. Everything below comes from the Frankston City Council event page, read on 26 October 2026, so details that the council has not published yet are marked as such.
When does the Christmas Festival start and finish?
The council lists the festival for Saturday 28 November 2026, 4pm to 9pm, at Frankston City Centre and Frankston Oval, around Davey and Young Streets. Melbourne is on daylight saving time at that date, so these are Melbourne clock times.
| Time | What the council lists |
|---|---|
| 6:00am | Road closures begin |
| 4:00pm | Festival opens |
| 4:30pm | Christmas Parade starts at High and Young Streets |
| 8:40pm to 9:15pm | Residents asked to keep pets securely inside during the fireworks |
| 8:45pm | Tree lighting and fireworks |
| 9:00pm | Festival ends |
| 2:00am Sunday | Road closures end |
The 2026 times differ from last year. In its 18 November 2025 media release, the council gave the 2025 festival as Saturday 29 November, 4:30pm to 9:30pm, with the tree lighting and fireworks at 9:15pm. The 2026 page lists a 4pm start, a 9pm finish and a fireworks time of 8:45pm, and the page itself describes the fireworks time as earlier this year.
Which roads are closed on Saturday 28 November?
The council says closures run from 6:00am on Saturday 28 November to 2:00am on Sunday 29 November. That is about 20 hours, so the streets are shut for most of Saturday, not only during the festival.
| Street | Closed between |
|---|---|
| Davey Street | Baxter Street and Nepean Highway |
| Young Street | High Street and Playne Street |
| Baxter Street | Davey Street and Park Street |
| Plowman Place | Open to local traffic only, via Bay Street South |
The council also says it highly recommends catching public transport because of the road closures and delays. Its page does not list detour routes or say whether any bus routes are diverted, so check the Transport Victoria journey planner in the 14 days before you travel.
What is on, and where is the parade?
The council describes a day of rides, markets, food and live entertainment, with free activities and a visit from Santa. The items it has published so far are:
- The Christmas Parade starts at the corner of High and Young Streets at 4:30pm and travels towards Davey Street.
- The Little Beauty Christmas Market takes over Beauty Park, with stalls for gifts, clothing, arts, homewares, jewellery, and food and drinks.
- Awkward Portraits offers free costume portraits, on a first come, first served basis because of demand.
- The Itchy Feet Pep Band plays as a roving act, performing top 40 music in a brass band format.
The page says more activities will be announced soon, and the food and beverage section has no line-up yet. We have not listed any stalls or rides beyond what the council has published. The council page also still invites groups to register for the parade, so the parade line-up may not be final.
Where can I watch the fireworks?
The council says the display is launched from behind the Civic Centre and can be viewed from Beauty Park, Frankston Oval, Young Street, Davey Street and the surrounding areas. The tree lighting happens at the end of the evening’s entertainment, at the same 8:45pm time as the fireworks.
If you live nearby, the council asks you to keep pets securely contained at home between 8:40pm and 9:15pm.
Where can I park near the festival?
The council suggests four public car parks and warns that fees and restrictions may apply, so you need to check the signs at each one:
- Bayside Shopping Centre
- Frankston Waterfront
- High Street and surrounds
- Bayside Entertainment Complex
The council’s page gives no fees for these. Bayside Shopping Centre publishes its own rates on its parking page, checked on 26 October 2026. The centre says it has more than 3,300 spaces, the car park is open 6:00am to 1:00am every day, and it uses a Tap & Go system, where you tap a card at the entry boom gate and the same card on exit. It shows two rate tables, one headed Bayside Entertainment and one headed Bayside:
| Time parked | Bayside Entertainment rate | Bayside rate |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1 hour | $2 | $1.50 |
| 1 to 2 hours | $3 | $2 |
| 2 to 3 hours | $4 | $3 |
| 3 to 3.5 hours | $5 | $7 (3 to 4 hours) |
| 3.5 to 4 hours | $7 | $7 (3 to 4 hours) |
| 4 to 4.5 hours | $15 | $15 |
| Over 4.5 hours | $20 | $20 |
The centre’s FAQ gives a night rate for Bayside Entertainment: after 6pm, $3 Monday to Thursday and $5 Friday and Saturday. The page does not say how the night rate works for a car that entered before 6pm, so read the sign at the entry. The centre lists height limits of 2.1 metres for the main car park, 2.0 metres for the Coles and Target car park, and 2.25 metres on the Woolworths and Aldi rooftop.
Where is the drop-off point for accessible and rideshare trips?
The council says the accessible and rideshare drop-off point is in front of Frankston Library on Playne Street, before the Young Street roundabout. The page does not give a pick-up point for the trip home.
How do I get there by train?
The council page tells visitors to head to Transport Victoria to plan their journey. It does not name a station or give a walking time. We checked the Transport Victoria Frankston and Stony Point lines planned works page on 26 October 2026. The page listed no planned works for 23 to 29 November, and it notes that Journey Planner shows service changes only within 14 days of travel. A work-free forecast can still change, so check again in the week of the festival.
Transport Victoria’s metropolitan fares page lists a myki Money weekend daily cap of $4.00 for a full fare, and says Seniors, carers and disability support pensioners with a concession card travel free on Saturdays and Sundays. Check the zone rows on that page for your own journey.
Is it free, and what are the rules?
The council page does not give an admission price and does not call the festival free as a whole. It says there are free activities, and it has not published prices for rides or food. The council lists these rules:
- Children must be supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.
- The festival is a smoke, vape and alcohol free event.
- Information is correct at the time of release and subject to change without notice.
What if the weather turns bad?
The council’s page says that for programme changes or event updates, you should follow @frankstonchristmasfestival on social media. It does not describe a wet-weather plan. For questions, the council’s events team is at frankstonevents@frankston.vic.gov.au, and the council’s events team phone is 1300 322 322 (from the council’s major events page).
What is still to be confirmed?
- The food and beverage line-up, which the council has not published.
- More activities, which the council says will be announced soon.
- The parade groups, because registrations were still open when we read the page.
- Whether any bus routes will be diverted, and any shuttle service. The council page mentions neither.
We will recheck the council page in the week before the festival and on the morning of Saturday 28 November, and update this guide if anything has changed.
Sources
- Imagine Frankston — Frankston’s Christmas Festival (Frankston City Council; times, road closures, parking, drop-off, rules; checked 26 October 2026)
- Frankston City Council — Families to flock to Frankston for Christmas Festival fun (media release, 18 November 2025; last year’s times, for comparison only)
- Frankston City Council — Get Involved in Council Run Events (events team contact; checked 26 October 2026)
- Bayside Shopping Centre — Parking and rates (checked 26 October 2026)
- Transport Victoria — Frankston and Stony Point lines planned works (checked 26 October 2026)
- Transport Victoria — Metropolitan train, tram and bus fares (checked 26 October 2026)
Featured image: the corner of Nepean Highway and Davey Street, Frankston (photo: NouvelleAuteur / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added)
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Frankston City Council, Bayside Shopping Centre or Transport Victoria. Event details and road closures can change; check the council’s event page before you go.