Heron Bay Sits in Two Cities. This December, Your Parcel Decides Which Holiday Perks Are Yours.

Two holiday events in North Broward hold something back for their own city's residents this year. In Parkland, that's Snowfest. In Coral Springs, it's the train rides at Light Up the Lawn. In most neighborhoods, which city you live in is a settled question. Heron Bay sits across the line between Parkland and Coral Springs, so two households on the same evening walk can have different answers.

So the first thing to sort out this December is the city on your parcel record. Do that before you plan the calendar. The rest of the season is open to everyone, and much of it is free.

The Line Runs Through the Gate

The Heron Bay neighborhood has always belonged to two cities, and it shows up in places you might not expect. Take the former Heron Bay Clubhouse at 11801 Heron Bay Boulevard. Parkland News reported in November 2024 that Parkland bought the land in 2022 as part of a larger 65-acre purchase from the North Springs Improvement District. The property still carried a Coral Springs address. The paper reported that the Parkland commission voted unanimously to annex the site. Officials from both cities held a joint public workshop to coordinate taking it out of Coral Springs and bringing it into Parkland.

If a city-owned parcel needed two governments to work out its address, a household can't assume its own address answers the question. That's the part that matters in December, when one city's registration system checks residency and the other's will too.

Your Mailing Address Won't Settle It

The city printed on your mail and the city your home actually sits in can be different. The Broward County Property Appraiser explains why in its frequently asked questions:

"For US Postal Service (USPS) reasons, we are required to use the city names that USPS demands in order to be able to send mass-mailings with reduced postage rates. However, the city listed for the site address is the correct city indicating the actual municipal location of the property."

A Heron Bay envelope reading "Coral Springs" or "Parkland" is a postal convention. The site-address city on your property record shows your municipality. Here's a quick way to check before registration opens:

1. Look up your property record with the Broward County Property Appraiser and find the city listed for the site address, not the mailing address.
2. To see it on a map, open the BCPA interactive web map, search your address, and turn on the "City Limits" layer.
3. Write down the answer. It tells you which of the next two sections applies to you.

Neither city's event pages say how they will verify residency for these registrations. Expect the city you named to be the one that checks.

The Parkland Side: Snowfest Is the Ticket That Sells Out the Door

Parkland's Snowfest is on Thursday, December 17, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. The city promises snow slides, seasonal crafts, music, and food trucks selling food and drinks. The rules are short and strict:

• Admission is $20 per child, and every child needs a ticket to get in.
• It's open to Parkland residents only.
• Registration is required, and there are no tickets at the door.
• You sign up through the city's WebTrac registration site.

Since there are no door sales, the registration date matters more than the event date, and the city's two pages don't agree on it. The main Snowfest listing says "Registration begins Monday, November 1." November 1, 2026 is a Sunday, though. A separate "Registration – Snowfest" calendar entry lists Tuesday, December 1, 2026, starting at 8 a.m. The safe plan is to check WebTrac this Sunday, November 1, and again on the morning of December 1, until the city settles it. The listing also doesn't name a venue yet. It shows only "Parkland, FL 33067."

Snowfest is also when Parkland announces the winners of its holiday home-decorating contest. The city calendar directs the contest to residents. Online registration opens December 1 and closes December 15, which is also judging day. Winners are named at Snowfest two days later. On the Parkland side of the line, that turns two weeks of porch lights into a contest entry.

The Coral Springs Side: A Train Ride on City Hall Lawn

Coral Springs keeps its resident-only perk inside a larger free event. Light Up the Lawn is on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the City Hall Lawn, 9500 West Sample Road. The night includes the tree lighting, a Snow Zone, a stuffed animal giveaway from the Coral Springs Police, and free cookies while they last. Anyone can come to all of that.

The train rides are the exception. The city lists them as "for Coral Springs Residents Only. Limited availability," and as of this week registration is still marked "coming soon." If your site address says Coral Springs, keep an eye on that page in November. The rides are limited, and the city hasn't posted the registration date.

A few logistics for the evening:

• Parking is free in the City Hall garage.
• Leashed dogs are welcome, and owners must clean up after them.
• Leave the lawn chairs at home. The city asks guests not to bring them.
• If you need a disability accommodation, call Special Events at 954-344-1111 at least five days ahead.

The Calendar Both Sides of the Line Share

Once the two resident-only items are sorted, the rest of the season doesn't care which city is on your parcel record. None of these event pages lists a residency restriction:

Wednesday, November 18, 6–8 p.m. The Coral Springs Family Fun Holiday Movie Night costs $5 per person.

December 1–31. Downtown in December lights the City Hall Lawn trees every night of the month for free. If you want a quiet look at the lights without the Light Up the Lawn crowd, this is it.

Saturday, December 5, 5:30–9:30 p.m. Light Up the Lawn itself. Only the train rides are restricted.

Sunday, December 6, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. The Parkland Farmers' Market adds a holiday craft fair with more than 40 vendors. It's free and open to the public. The city's calendar listing doesn't give a street address, so check the full Parkland fall calendar or the city's page before you go.

Wednesday, December 9, 7–9 p.m. The Coral Springs Holiday Parade runs along Sample Road. It's free, and this year's theme honors the U.S. 250th anniversary.

Friday, December 11, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Parkland's Light Up the Park fills the Amphitheatre at 10561 Trails End with holiday performances by local schools and community groups, plus children's activities, bounce houses, food trucks, and the lighting of the park. The page has no residency condition, so Coral Springs-side households can come too. If your kids sing, dance, or play in a youth group, performer applications open on the city's website November 1.

For a Heron Bay household, that adds up to six shared events running from mid-November through New Year's Eve, one of them a monthlong light display. Then there's one resident-only perk on whichever side of the line you're on: a Saturday train ride for Coral Springs households, a Thursday snow night for Parkland households.

Two New Tables on Coral Ridge Drive

Two restaurants opened on Coral Ridge Drive in August, close to home, and both are new to holiday evenings this year.

Ember & Vine at 5920 Coral Ridge Drive in Sawgrass Center held its ribbon cutting on August 3. Coral Springs Talk reported that co-owner Eddie Pozzuoli built it around specialty coffee and globally inspired dishes "from Italy to India," with wine flights alongside. It's one of seven restaurants under P Hospitality. Breakfast runs daily from 8 a.m. to noon, and at opening the restaurant set August 26 as the start date for lunch service. Dinner runs until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and until 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. Because it stays open until 10 on Saturdays, it works for a late dinner after Light Up the Lawn wraps at 9:30.

Pummarola Pizzeria opened at 6240 Coral Ridge Drive on August 12. Coral Springs News describes it as a Naples-inspired pizza parlor with locations from Miami to Barcelona, built on family recipes from an Italian matriarch. The coverage doesn't list hours, so call ahead before a parade-night or Snowfest-night dinner.

Wondering which city your Heron Bay home is in, or what it might be worth on your side of the line? Portia knows the community on both sides of the city line, and Campbell Investment Realty / CiriFL can walk you through your parcel record and prepare a home valuation built on Heron Bay sales.