On October 13, Winter Park marked the end of Phase 1 of the Park Avenue Refresh at the corner of Garfield and Park avenues. That corner is the southern edge of the finished work. North of Garfield, the avenue has new streetlights, repaired sidewalks and new planters. South of Garfield, along Central Park, the streetscape is the one built in the city's last restoration between 1996 and 1999.
The Central Park blocks are where nearly every big gathering of the season takes place. The art festival, the Tiffany windows, the tree lighting, the snow corner and the parade all happen there. The city expects Phase 2 construction on those same blocks, Garfield to New England, to begin in January 2027. So this November and December are the last time Winter Park celebrates on that stretch as it looks today.
What Changed North of Garfield This Year
Phase 1 covered Webster to Garfield. Work started January 20, 2026, and was paid for with $2.5 million in Community Redevelopment Agency funds. The city's list of what got built:
- New dark-sky streetlights with integrated smart hubs, banner arms and hanging baskets
- Repaired sidewalks, curbs and raised planter boxes
- Safety and ADA treatments at intersections
- Seasonal landscaping and more live oaks
- Decorative planter pots, safety bollards and new trash and recycling bins
- Underground conduit for electrical, low-voltage, fiber and irrigation lines
Bungalower reported that Phase 1 included 110 custom "smart" light poles. The poles support LED lighting, Wi-Fi routers and irrigation for the hanging baskets, and they have room for future technology. The planter boxes are reinforced concrete and also serve as vehicle barriers. The city's before-and-after photos show the work at Cole, Canton and Garfield. In the media alert announcing the completion, the city wrote that it had finished Phase 1 "as promised, before the busy holiday season."
That timing explains which blocks look new for the holidays. The north end got done first. The busiest event blocks were saved for a later phase.
The Season's Calendar Runs Through Central Park
Most of the season's holiday events take place in Central Park or on the Park Avenue frontage beside it.
November 14 and 15: Autumn Art Festival
The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce describes the Autumn Art Festival as the only juried fine arts festival that features Florida artists exclusively. It's held in Central Park along Park Avenue and includes live music on the Central Park stage, a children's art workshop, a beer garden and food vendors. Admission is free.
Thursday, December 3: Christmas in the Park
The Morse Museum and the City of Winter Park present the 48th annual outdoor exhibition of century-old Tiffany windows in Central Park. A concert of holiday favorites by the Bach Festival Society Choir and Brass Ensemble runs from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m.
Friday, December 4: Winter on the Avenue
The evening runs 5 to 9 p.m. It opens with the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting in Central Park, just east of the Winter Park train station. Rabbi Dovid Dubov of Chabad Orlando leads a menorah lighting, and Mayor Sheila DeCiccio leads the countdown to light the tree. Park Avenue becomes a pedestrian plaza for the night. The Belles & Bows from Central Florida Vocal Arts stroll and carol, stilt-walking elves work the avenue, and a snowy setup takes over the corner of Morse Boulevard and Park Avenue. Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive at 6:30 p.m. with help from Winter Park Fire-Rescue and stay for photos until 8:00.
Morse Boulevard is one of the two major intersections inside Phase 2. The snow corner is in the middle of the next work zone.
Saturday, December 5: Pancakes, Then the Parade
Leadership Winter Park alumni and the current class host their pancake breakfast fundraiser in Central Park before and during the parade. The 74th annual "Ye Olde Hometown" Christmas Parade runs 9 to 10:30 a.m. The Chamber calls it the oldest continuous holiday parade in Central Florida. More than 80 organizations take part, including marching bands, local police and fire departments, scouting groups and Santa.
The parade route crosses both halves of the refresh. It starts at Cole Avenue, inside the finished Phase 1 blocks, and heads south on Park Avenue past Garfield and along Central Park. Then it turns at New England Avenue and ends at Pennsylvania Avenue. The first stretch passes the new poles and planters. The rest passes the blocks the city plans to rebuild next.
The Finished End Has Its Own Holiday Draws
Some of the season isn't tied to one evening. Visit Orlando lists Holidays on Park from November 27, 2026, through January 3, 2027, featuring the Cathedral of Lights, a holiday carousel and one-day events across the Park Avenue District. The Morse Museum offers free admission from 4 to 8 p.m., with live music from 5 to 8 p.m., on four Friday nights in a row from November 27 to December 18. Free admission also runs all Thanksgiving weekend and on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On a Friday at the Morse, a walk down the avenue now starts under the new lights. After Garfield, the original streetscape takes over.
What January Is Expected to Bring to the Central Park Blocks
Phase 2 covers Garfield, Lincoln, Morse, Welbourne and New England. In February, the City Commission voted 5-0 to approve a $240,250 contract with Stringfellow Planning & Design for this stretch. According to Bungalower, the contract covers project management, urban design, community engagement and subconsultant costs, including engineering and Phase 1 construction administration. It is not a construction budget. The full three-phase project is projected at $8.5 million.
Stringfellow showed the commission a Phase 2 concept on June 10. The table below sets its stretch-wide estimates beside what Phase 1 delivered.
| Element | Phase 1, Webster to Garfield | Phase 2 concept, Garfield to New England |
|---|---|---|
| Light poles | 110 custom smart poles | About 38 new poles |
| Curb bulb-outs | Used around large oaks | About 11 |
| Planter pots | Decorative pots added | About 70 at intersections |
| Bollards | Added | About 130 between raised planters |
| New trees | Additional live oaks | About 4, a mix of crape myrtles and oaks |
Phase 2 has fewer poles because one whole side of the stretch is Central Park, with no storefronts. The concept adds pieces Phase 1 didn't have. Those include an entry feature at Central Park and Lincoln, a bus stop building, wall caps on about 30 existing raised beds and about eight handrails. Plans for the Rose Garden are waiting on a discussion with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.
Alex Stringfellow told Bungalower the team would look at widening the tree beds around the avenue's big oaks. He also said the curve of the road near Briarpatch might make room for a wider sidewalk there. He expects little design or construction work inside Central Park itself, though benches and seating could "spill into the space here and there."
Clarissa Howard, the city's communications director and the project's manager, told the same outlet what makes this stretch harder:
"Phase 2 is significantly different than Phase 1 due to the number of businesses along the eastern side of Park Avenue and Central Park on the west."
Bungalower lists Briarpatch, Prato, Tabla Indian Restaurant and Lululemon among the businesses on that east side. Howard said construction zones would keep a pedestrian walkway open to every merchant. She also said the city would work with event organizers, including the Sidewalk Art Festival, on what kind of construction happens during event dates.
How the North End Handled Construction
In February, Bungalower reported that the city was aiming to finish final construction documents for Phase 2 by November. Phase 1 shows how the work went on the north end. Crews closed one or two blocks at a time, starting on the west side at Swoope Avenue, working south to Garfield and then north up the east side. Each work zone took over the sidewalk, the parking spaces beside it and the single southbound lane. The city kept pedestrian access open so people could still reach shops and restaurants, and it added temporary parking on Morse Boulevard between New York and Virginia avenues.
Phase 1 ran from January 20 to its October 13 celebration. After Phase 2, Phase 3 is expected to take the work from New England to Fairbanks in 2028. For updates on the next stretch, the city posts them on its Park Avenue Refresh project page. You can also choose the Park Avenue Refresh category in the city's email newsletter.
This year's tree lighting on December 4 happens on the 1990s streetscape. If the January schedule holds, by next December the same blocks will have their own new poles, bulb-outs and an entry feature at Lincoln.
Downtown projects like this feed into how buyers see a home's surroundings, and I follow them because my clients ask about them. If the Park Avenue Refresh has you wondering what your Winter Park home might be worth in today's market, Jen King can start with an instant home valuation and go over the numbers with you in person. Get Your Instant Home Valuation.
