Santa crosses Lake Anne on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026. He rides the last pontoon boat in a short holiday flotilla, and a crowd of paddlers in elf hats and holiday costumes follows him in on paddleboards, kayaks and canoes. The boats leave the Lakeside cluster dock around 12:15 p.m. and reach Lake Anne Plaza at about 12:30.
The day has gone by Jingle on the Lake for years. The paddlers' own Facebook event goes by "Jingle Paddle 2026 on Lake Anne," and the route map its hosts posted calls it the Annual Elf Paddle. All three names describe the same noon crossing.
Jingle on the Lake 2026 at a glance
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026
- Santa's arrival at Lake Anne Plaza: about 12:30 p.m.
- Boat parade staging: Lakeside cluster dock, starting around noon
- Paddler launch: Lake Anne boat ramp on Inlet Court, gear up from about 11:30 a.m.
- Cost: free
- Paddlers: experienced only, bring your own board, kayak or canoe
- Same day at RCC Lake Anne: the Gifts from the HeART holiday shopping event, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Santa leaves the Lakeside dock around 12:15 and lands at the plaza about 12:30
The boat parade lines up at the Lakeside cluster dock, a short ride south of the plaza. The paddle hosts describe it as the largest marina-style dock on the lake, home to about ten pontoon boats. The pontoons start forming up around noon, Santa boards the last one, and the paddlers fall in behind him once he pulls away.
From the plaza, the flotilla comes into view as it heads up the lake's western arm toward Heron House. Families crowded the waterfront to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus last year, according to The Reston Letter's coverage of the 2025 event, so plan to reach the railing by noon if you want a clear view of the landing.
Once the boats tie up, the paddlers gather for a group photo. Some dock and stay for the afternoon on the plaza. Most paddle back to Inlet Court whenever they are ready.
The Jingle Paddle launches from the Inlet Court boat ramp around 11:30
Steve Gurney and Barry Nobles host the paddle, and their event page lays out the morning:
- About 11:30 a.m.: Park along Inlet Court and gear up at the Lake Anne boat ramp there.
- About 11:45: Be ready to push off. The paddle from the ramp to the Lakeside dock takes 10 to 15 minutes.
- 12:00 to 12:10: Be at or near the Lakeside dock. The boat parade starts around noon.
- About 12:15: Santa's pontoon leaves the dock, and the paddlers join in behind it.
- About 12:30: Santa arrives at Lake Anne Plaza.
Bring your own board, kayak or canoe, and wear the most festive outfit you can paddle in. The hosts recommend the paddle for experienced paddlers only. A fall into December water is dangerous, so dress for the water temperature rather than the air.
The event is an informal gathering. No organization runs it and no one supervises it, and the hosts ask every participant to accept the risks of cold water, changing weather and a lake full of other boats. Questions go to the hosts through the Facebook event page, which lists a contact number.
Lakeside is a residential cluster, and the organizers ask anyone who drives to the dock to stay out of its reserved parking spaces.
Steve Gurney added the paddling elves in 2016
Santa's arrival by water predates the paddlers by years. Reston Now wrote up Santa's arrival by boat in 2014, and the next year's headline put him on a barge.
In 2016, Gurney, a lifelong Restonian and avid paddleboarder, added paddleboarding elves to Santa's arrival. He told The Reston Letter the idea came up casually and that the first year brought cold weather and strong winds, but the paddlers and the crowd on shore took to it right away. The group has kept growing since. Pulling up to the dock in front of the crowd, Gurney said, felt like being "one of Santa's backup singers."
Kathy Tracey paddles out as an elf with a group of friends
Jingle on the Lake is one of Kathy's favorite days of the year. She dresses as an elf and paddles out with a group of friends, while Graham holds down a table at Lake Anne Brew House and waits for the flotilla to land. We filmed the crossing for our Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
In October, Lake Anne hosts a different costumed paddle, the SUP Witches Halloween coven parade, and our guide covers that one too.
The 2026 plaza lineup has not been posted yet
The paddle hosts still send arrivals toward "the plaza festivities" in this year's invitation, but no schedule for the 2026 plaza program has appeared as of Nov. 10. We will add it here when one does.
In 2025, the plaza ran a Christmas market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with holiday crafts for children and performances from the Lake Anne and Sunrise Valley elementary school choirs, several South Lakes High School a cappella groups, the Reston Conservatory Ballet and the Vienna Singing Princesses.
Kalypso's Sports Tavern, Cafe Montmartre and Chiboo Bakery share the plaza with Lake Anne Brew House, a few steps from the waterfront where Santa lands.
The plaza opened in 1964 as Reston's first village center, and Lake Anne Plaza has its own post on our site. Our Lake Anne neighborhood guide covers the homes around the lake, and you can browse homes for sale near Lake Anne on our site.
RCC's holiday art sale runs from 10 to 3 the same day
Reston Community Center holds its Gifts from the HeART shopping event at RCC Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza North, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 5, according to Tysons Today's 2026 holiday market roundup. Local artists sell original artwork, ceramics, jewelry and other handmade pieces, and the sale runs alongside RCC's annual Gifts from the HeART exhibit. The Reston Letter's 2025 coverage mentions the same indoor sale running during Jingle on the Lake last year.
The Saturday Reston Farmers Market at Lake Anne closes its 2026 season on Nov. 21, according to the Park Authority's season listing, so no produce stalls are expected on Dec. 5. The county stretched the Reston market into early December in some past years, so check its page the week before.
Spectators can park on North Shore Drive or in the lot above the plaza
Street parking runs along North Shore Drive. The Park Authority's own directions for the Saturday market point to a second lot up the hill: turn left on North Shore Drive, pass the traffic light by Fellowship House, take the first left and park near the office building, then walk down the steps behind Washington Plaza Baptist Church to the plaza.
Paddlers should park along Inlet Court near the ramp, which puts them on the opposite end of the lake from the crowd.
Watching the boat parade means half an hour or more standing on the waterfront with the wind coming across the lake, so dress for standing still. RCC Lake Anne sits on the plaza, and the art sale gives kids a warm break between Santa's landing and lunch.
Winterfest's last night follows the same evening
Dec. 5 is also the final night of Reston Association's Winterfest at Brown's Chapel Park, which opens from 5 to 9 p.m. A family could watch Santa land at noon, browse the RCC sale after lunch and walk the Winterfest light trail after dark without leaving Reston.
Herndon has its own holiday shopping the next day. The Herndon Community Center hosts its annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Show on Sunday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 70 vendors. Earlier in the season, the Reston Holiday Parade runs at Reston Town Center the day after Thanksgiving, eight days before Jingle on the Lake.
See something missing or wrong? Email us at [email protected] and we will check it and update the post.
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