Between October 24 and December 31, Avalon's public events cluster at two corners. One is the 29th-to-30th Street stretch of Avalon Avenue, where Avalon Community Hall, the big municipal lot and Surfside Park all sit within a block of each other. The other is 21st Street and Dune Drive. Every event on the borough's recreation calendar in that window happens at one of those two spots, except Halloween night, which covers the whole town.
This year, the ocean end of those same blocks is still a construction zone. The dredge pumping sand onto the north end has been working its way south toward the low 20s, and its last stretch of work runs through the paths a few blocks from where Santa's sleigh will be parked at Thanksgiving.
Where the Sand Stands This Week
The Borough of Avalon's project update page posted its latest entry on October 9. As of that day, Norfolk Dredging had moved 929,724 cubic yards of sand from the Townsends Inlet borrow area onto the north end. The previous 24 hours alone accounted for 38,806 cubic yards. The contract the Army Corps of Engineers announced on June 5 called for about 941,032 cubic yards from 9th to 28th Streets. On paper, that left about 11,000 cubic yards, less than a third of what the dredge moved in its last reported day.
The paper figure leaves out the storm repairs. A nor'easter in late September caused severe erosion from 18th to 23rd Streets. Public Works closed those paths, and the Borough said those beaches would get new sand as part of this project. On October 9, Norfolk Dredging had the 19th through 23rd Street paths closed for construction, and the 12th Street path was still closed for a subcontractor. The Borough said work was expected to continue into this week. Earlier updates had given October 12 as a likely finish date, but the latest entry stops short of calling the job done.
A few practical points from the same updates:
- The dredge runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and stops only for mechanical failure or bad weather.
- Lifeguards are off duty for the season, and the Borough's September updates told people not to swim in the ocean.
- Beaches not listed as closed in a given update are open to the public.
The Borough's project page lists dune reconstruction, crossovers, fencing and dune grass planting as part of the fill contract. So when the pipe comes off the beach, there will be fresh dune work behind it. That is the backdrop for the first event on the fall calendar.
October 24 Starts and Ends at 30th Street
The Fall Dune Grass Planting is on Saturday, October 24, starting at 8:30 a.m. at Avalon Community Hall, 3001 Avalon Avenue. The rain date is Sunday, October 25. The Borough's 2026 notice invites groups, families and individuals. To register, call the Avalon Department of Recreation at (609) 967-3066.
The Avalon Environmental Commission's page on the program describes it as a volunteer effort held twice a year. Volunteers meet at the hall, get instruction on planting technique, head out to plant, and come back for lunch. That page dates from 2021, so treat it as a description of how the event has usually run. This year's notice doesn't name the planting sites or the grass, and it doesn't say volunteers will be working on the dunes the fill just built.
That evening the same corner turns over to kids. Trunk or Treat runs from 5 to 7 p.m. in the parking lot at 30th Street and Avalon Avenue. One week later, on Saturday, October 31, borough-wide trick-or-treating runs from 5 to 8 p.m. That is the one night on the calendar that isn't tied to a corner.
Volunteers who spend the morning near new dunes should know the Borough's standing rules. Avalon's dune guidance asks everyone to stay off the dunes and cross only at approved paths or walkways. The borough code makes it unlawful to remove dune snow fence or vegetation, and it bars walking on dunes except on designated, marked public paths. Freshly planted grass on a freshly graded dune is the most fragile version of that landscape.
The Two Corners, Laid Out
Here are the public events from the Avalon Department of Recreation and Visit Avalon's Thanksgiving Weekend page, sorted by where each event happens.
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Fall Dune Grass Planting | 8:30 a.m. | Avalon Community Hall, 30th & Avalon Ave. |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Trunk or Treat | 5–7 p.m. | Parking lot, 30th & Avalon Ave. |
| Sat., Oct. 31 | Trick or Treat | 5–8 p.m. | Borough-wide |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Veterans Day Ceremony | 11 a.m. | Veterans Plaza, 21st & Dune Dr. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Turkey Trot 5K and 1.5-mile walk | 10 a.m. / 10:05 a.m. | 30th & Avalon Ave. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Festive Friday | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Business district |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Tree lighting | 5 p.m. | Following Festive Friday |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Snowfest Saturday | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Business district, Santa's sleigh at 21st & Dune Dr. |
| Thu., Dec. 31 | New Year's Eve Celebration | 3–5 p.m. | Surfside Park, 29th & Avalon Ave. |
The 21st and Dune corner gets its first off-season turn on Veterans Day. The ceremony at Veterans Plaza starts at 11 a.m., followed by a ceremony and open house at Stephen C. Ludlam Post 331. That corner sits a few blocks inland from the 19th to 23rd Street beach paths the dredge was working on as of October 9.
Thanksgiving Weekend, in Order
Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year, so the Friday and Saturday events land on November 27 and 28. Most of the season's public calendar fits into those two days, so here they are in order:
- Turkey Trot, Friday, 10 a.m. The 5K starts at 30th and Avalon Avenue at 10 a.m., and the 1.5-mile walk follows at 10:05. Both benefit the Helen L. Diller Vacation Home for Blind Children. Costumes are encouraged, and awards go to the best dressed and to top runners in each age group. Registration is through the Diller Home's Turkey Trot page.
- Festive Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The business district hosts more than 40 free activities, including character meet-and-greets, face painters and balloon artists. The 7 Mile Business Community Association sponsors the day.
- Tree lighting, Friday, 5 p.m. Santa and Mayor McCorristin light the town at the end of Festive Friday.
- Snowfest Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bounce houses, obstacle courses, slides, trampolines, a rock wall, ice sculpting and carnival rides fill the business district, and the Avalon Free Public Library sponsors holiday performances throughout the day.
- Santa's sleigh photos, Saturday, line closes at 3:30 p.m. The sleigh is parked at 21st and Dune Drive. Visit Avalon says you have to be in line by 3:30, half an hour before Snowfest ends.
The Turkey Trot is the one event that weekend at 30th Street. The Recreation calendar lists Avalon Community Hall as its location, and that is the same corner. Neither source lists a 2026 Christmas parade for Avalon. The Recreation Department's next event after Thanksgiving weekend is New Year's Eve.
What's Open Around the Events
The calendar fills up as the restaurant and shop directory empties out. Visit Avalon's restaurant hours page carries no update date, so read it as a snapshot. As of now, it lists The Diving Horse at 2109 Dune Drive as open Thursday through Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m., and closing for the season after October 30. That makes Friday, October 30 its last listed night, the evening before Halloween.
The same directory already lists several spots as closed for the season:
- Avalon Freeze at 23rd Street and Dune Drive
- Avalon Supermarket at 2868 Dune Drive
- Avalon Mouse Trap at 2301 Dune Drive
- Avalon Seafood & Produce Market at 2909 Ocean Drive
On the retail side, Annabelle at 2174 Dune Drive is also marked closed for the season. None of these listings give a reopening date.
On the other side of the ledger, the Seven Mile Times profiled Armadillo Ltd., at 2761 Dune Drive, as a shop that operates year-round. Two businesses that are new this year will be going through their first Avalon winter. The Seven Mile Times' July Business Buzz column reported that Gully's, a restaurant and bar at 2688 Dune Drive, opened this season. The August edition reported that Faye & Madi had opened its second location at 260 21st Street. Both profiles listed summer hours, but neither business has posted winter hours yet. Call ahead before planning a Festive Friday lunch around either one.
New Year's Eve Ends Before Dark
The last event on the borough calendar runs from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, December 31, at Surfside Park, 29th Street and Avalon Avenue. If the weather is bad, it moves to Avalon Community Hall. That's one block from where the season's public events began, at the hall where dune planting volunteers will gather on October 24.
If the October 24 planting or this fall's beach work has you wondering what the new dunes and paths will mean for a house near the north end, I'm happy to walk the blocks with you. Joseph Butler has been a year-round Avalon resident for 30 years and watches each update from the 9th to 28th Street stretch as it comes in. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
