On Wednesday, September 2, the Town of Oak Island removed the E.F. Middleton Playground. A safety review had found it unsafe and beyond repair. The perimeter swings are still standing, along with the open lawn and the picnic shelter.
Two months later, that same park at 4701 E. Oak Island Drive is set to host the town's first pet adoption festival and the annual Tree Lighting. The other two big December events are a short walk away. From mid-November through the first weekend of December, nearly every public gathering on Oak Island happens between Town Hall at SE 46th Street and the Community Center at SE 47th Street, so the town's holiday season comes down to one stretch of East Oak Island Drive.
Two Blocks Hold the Whole Season
Council Chambers sits on the second floor of Town Hall at 4601 E. Oak Island Drive. Middleton Park Complex is at 4701. The Community Center is around the corner at 102 SE 47th Street. The parade starts at Town Hall.
| Date | Event | Time | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Doggy Daze of Fall | Noon to 4 p.m. | Middleton Park Complex |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | CoastWise Speakers Series | 6 to 8 p.m. | Council Chambers, Town Hall |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Tree Lighting | 5 to 7 p.m. | Middleton Park Complex |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Breakfast with Santa | 8 to 10 a.m. | Community Center, 102 SE 47th St. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Christmas By The Sea Parade | 2 p.m. | Town Hall at SE 46th St. to McGlamery St. |
With the events this close together, one parking spot can cover a Friday evening and most of the following Saturday. Two of those events, Doggy Daze and the Tree Lighting, take place at Middleton Park, and the park is in the middle of a rebuild.
What Middleton Park Has Right Now
The playground's removal moved fast. A safety review in August found the equipment couldn't be repaired, and the town sped up its replacement schedule. Requests for proposals were due September 15. The town's October update says the Parks & Recreation Department is reviewing proposals for new equipment while also looking for grant money and pursuing sponsorship and naming opportunities.
The Town Projects page gives a loose timeline:
"Playground equipment replacement is anticipated sometime in 2027."
That means this year's Doggy Daze and Tree Lighting will happen with swings, open lawn and a picnic shelter where the play structure used to be. Families who planned on letting kids run off steam between events will have less to work with than last December. The lawn and the shelter carry more of the load now.
The two Middleton Park events also bring their own activities, and that matters more this year than it did when the playground was there.
November 14 Is a New Event, and It Picked Up a Rained-Out Band
Doggy Daze of Fall is a first for Oak Island. The town calls it a "Pet Adoption & Family Festival." It runs from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 14, with pet adoptions, a doggie splashpad, games and prizes, craft vendors, and food trucks for people and dogs.
The music came from another event's bad luck. The town's Live & Local: Market + Music night on Saturday, October 10, was canceled for weather. In an October 14 notice, the town said featured band The British Invaders would play Doggy Daze instead. Anyone sorry to miss the October show gets a second chance in mid-November, with dogs welcome this time. Details are on the Doggy Daze of Fall event page.
The splashpad and adoption area take up the kind of open space a playground used to share, which suits a park that is mostly lawn for now.
The First Weekend of December Stacks Three Events Into 21 Hours
The Tree Lighting at Middleton Park starts at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 4, and ends at 7 p.m. The town lists entertainment, train rides, craft stations and Santa.
Thirteen hours later, at 8 a.m. Saturday, Breakfast with Santa begins at the Community Center. It runs until 10 a.m., and you have to preregister. The breakfast is the only event on this list that needs advance planning, so register early if your family wants a seat.
At 2 p.m. that afternoon, the Christmas By The Sea Parade leaves Town Hall at SE 46th Street and heads down East Oak Island Drive to McGlamery Street. It goes on rain or shine. The town's weekly newsletter calls it "one of the largest parades in the area." A December 2023 issue of the newsletter backs that up. In 2023, the first year town staff and volunteers coordinated the parade entirely on their own, it drew nearly 90 entries and more than 100 floats, vehicles, carts and walking groups.
The parade is still taking entries. Businesses, clubs and church groups that want a spot have until Wednesday, November 18, to submit the parade entry application.
From the first song at the tree to the last float reaching McGlamery Street, all three events fall within about 21 hours, and they start within a block of each other.
Shorter Days Moved the Rest of the Schedule
As the evening events move to the town center, the town's outdoor facilities are cutting back their hours. As of this week:
- Oak Island Pier: Open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. since Monday, November 2. The town says the winter schedule should take effect in December, so these hours won't last long.
- Oak Island Par 3 Golf: Open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. since Sunday, November 1. All rental equipment has to be back 30 minutes before closing.
- Glow Ball Tournament, November 27: The Par 3's night event is already full, and so is the standby list.
- Town offices: Closed Wednesday, November 11, for Veterans Day.
The pier is the town's main landmark that stays on the beach side, and it now closes an hour earlier than it did in October. Starting in December, the pier's hours will change again. Meanwhile, the evening events will all be inland at Middleton Park and Town Hall.
The CoastWise Speakers Series on Thursday, November 19, fits the season. Taylor McDaniel, the Commercial Consumer Horticulture Agent for Brunswick County and manager of the Master Gardener Volunteers of Brunswick County, will speak on "Native Trees For Coastal Canopies" from 6 to 8 p.m. in Council Chambers. The series is part of the CoastWise Initiative, a partnership the town and the UNCW College of Science & Engineering started in 2025. Fall is planting season, and the talk is a short walk from the park where the town tree goes up two weeks later.
Between Events on East Oak Island Drive
The town-center stretch is close to a few spots that work for a quick bite between a morning breakfast and a 2 p.m. parade. OKI Scoop Shop & Donuts is at 4922 E. Oak Island Drive, a few blocks east of Middleton Park. Its site lists hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Farther along at 5419 E. Oak Island Drive, Paul's of Oak Island says its full menu runs from noon to midnight daily. Island businesses often change hours as the season winds down, so check with either place before you build a parade-day plan around it. The Southport-Oak Island Area Chamber of Commerce directory lists more restaurants along the same road.
If you'd rather stay closer, the Doggy Daze food trucks sit right in the park on November 14.
For updates on the playground replacement, the town posts its progress on the Town Projects page. The next big decision is which proposal gets picked and how it gets paid for.
At Living By The Coast Realty Group, we follow what's changing on Oak Island, from park rebuilds like Middleton's to the town calendar. If you own on the island and want to know what that means for your home's value this season, ask us for a free home valuation.
