Deck the Chairs Opens Its First Season Under a New Student Arts Banner

Deck the Chairs started in 2013 with 18 local business partners, inspired by the lifeguard chairs on the nearby sand, and it raised money for the Volunteer Lifeguards. When the 14th season lights up at SeaWalk Pavilion and Latham Plaza on Wednesday, Nov. 25, a newer organization will be running it: the Students in the Arts Alliance. Most of the season's programming is now built around young artists.

Twenty-two student art programs built illuminated displays this year, student musicians and dancers fill the Saturday stage, and the more than 30 community-decorated chairs now sit inside a student arts organization that runs all year.

From Lifeguard Fundraiser to Student Showcase

According to Jacksonville Today, the nonprofit Deck the Chairs organization formed the Students in the Arts Alliance earlier this year. The alliance oversees the holiday exhibit and its youth performances and is also building arts opportunities for students outside the holiday season. Founder and executive director Kurtis Loftus described the change in a news release that Jacksonville Today quoted:

"Deck The Chairs is our tradition, and Students in the Arts Alliance is our future. This new direction allows us to support student artists year‑round and strengthen the role of youth creativity in our community."

The year-round programs started well before the lights. This spring the alliance ran its second annual Deck the Bins Art Contest, in which young artists turn public garbage containers into art installations about sustainability and community pride. Applications closed in May, and awards were announced June 1. The alliance also set up a FloArts Talent Scholarship with the Florida School of the Arts for students pursuing visual arts.

The holiday exhibit is now the alliance's flagship program. More than 50 organizations are taking part in this year's displays and programming.

Twenty-Two Student Programs, Split Between the Sand and the Zoo

This year's student displays share one theme: how people and wildlife can thrive together. The Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens gave the students educational guidance on it. Ten of the 22 student displays will be shown at SeaWalk Pavilion, and the other 12 at the zoo. Each program gets a $500 decorating stipend, according to the event's student displays page.

Beaches Beacon lists these Beaches-area schools among those showing work at the pavilion:

• Fletcher High School
• Fletcher Middle School
• Discovery School
• Beaches Chapel School
• Mayport Coastal Sciences Middle School
• Seaside Charter School

The zoo also has its own chair this year. Jax Zoo & Botanical Gardens is No. 30 on the 2026 chair decorator map, so the partnership shows up among the community chairs as well as in the student displays.

Saturdays Belong to the Student Performers

Saturday performances this season feature student musicians, dancers and community groups. The Pavilion Stage is the clearest place to see the alliance's mission in action. Here are the published stage times, in order:

1. Wednesday, Nov. 25, 7 to 8 p.m. Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida open the season on the Pavilion Stage.
2. Friday, Dec. 4, 6 to 7 p.m. The Florida Ballet performs "The Nutcracker."
3. Saturday, Dec. 5, 1 to 2 p.m. The Jacksonville Suzuki Strings, followed by the Episcopal School of Jacksonville chorus and dance team from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m.
4. Saturday, Dec. 12, 1 to 2 p.m. Tuba Christmas, with more groups through the afternoon and evening. The Fletcher High School Dance Team is scheduled for 3:40 to 3:55 p.m.
5. Saturday, Dec. 19, 4:25 to 4:40 p.m. Fletcher Middle School performs.

Dance ensembles, school choruses and local theater groups fill in the rest of the calendar. The full lineup is on the event's stage schedule. Organizers note that weather can change the programming, so the official site is the place to check on the day.

Several slots are short. Fletcher's two student sets each run 15 minutes, so families coming to see a specific group should plan around the posted start time.

The Chairs Still Belong to the Neighbors

The lifeguard chairs are still the part of the event that Beaches businesses and groups make themselves. The 2026 exhibit map in the official event guide numbers each decorator. Some of the most local names on this year's list:

• Volunteer Lifeguards, the cause the event first raised money for, at No. 12
• Oceanside Rotary, Beach Gazette and Baptist Medical Beaches
• Fleet Landing and the City of Jacksonville Beach
• Sawgrass Pet Resort, W.W. Gay, Angel's Construction and Brasfield & Gorrie
• Publix, which is also the season's presenting sponsor
• Schools, including Legacy Christian Academy, Jax Country Day School, St. Paul's Catholic School and Celebree School
• Community groups, including the American Legion, Boys & Girls Club NE FL and Down Syndrome Assc.

Even this part of the event now runs on a set calendar. Visitors pick their three favorite community chairs from more than 30 entries for the People's Choice Awards. Voting opens Nov. 25 and closes Friday, Dec. 18, and each visitor may submit one ballot. The winners will be recognized at the Chair Decorating Awards on Sunday, Dec. 20, from noon to 2 p.m. Ballots are on the event's chair voting page.

With one ballot each, a good plan is to walk the whole lawn before you vote. Everyone gets exactly one chance at three picks.

Planning Around Five Weeks on the Oceanfront

Opening night falls on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. That means the first week of lights lines up with family visits for the holiday, and the first Christmas market comes four days later. The rest of the season sorts by day of the week:

The Christmas market features local artists, makers and vendors selling gifts. The whole event is family-friendly and alcohol-free. Visit Jacksonville's listing says the event is handicap accessible and that dogs are allowed, which makes it an easy evening walk with the dog.

At the center of it all, the animated Christmas tree stands in front of the SeaWalk Pavilion stage, as Jacksonville Today described it. The season ends Jan. 1, 2027. The organizers have already said Deck the Chairs is now one program in a student arts calendar that keeps going after the lights come down.

Many of the names on this year's chair map are businesses and organizations we see across the Beaches every day, and we look forward to Deck the Chairs each year as part of the neighborhood we serve. If hosting family by the oceanfront this season has you wondering what your Jacksonville Beach home is worth going into 2027, the team at Mandy Morrow Group would be glad to put a current market strategy in front of you. Request a Complimentary Home Valuation, and we will follow up personally.