This Fall's Coligny Calendar Fits Inside a Short Walk

Between October 16 and December 6, the Forest Beach event calendar runs on one small piece of ground. A free symphony concert, a barbecue fundraiser, a songwriter night, Halloween trick-or-treating, a toy drive, the Lantern Parade and a Christmas market all fall within a short walk of Coligny Circle. In the first week of October, the Town of Hilton Head Island set out counters on Pope Avenue and both Forest Beach drives to record how many people walk and bike those streets.

After Labor Day, the south end's season is built for people on foot, and the Town is measuring that foot traffic before it decides what to change next.

The Path Most of These Evenings Start From

Coligny Circle Pocket Park opened on May 11, 2026. It covers 0.29 acres between the northeast quadrant of the circle and Coligny Plaza. The main feature is a wider tabby-concrete pathway that links Pope Avenue to North Forest Beach Drive and is built for both pedestrians and cyclists. There are also paver walkways, benches, bike racks, a custom trellis with tables and chairs, and lighting on the preserved live oaks and along the paths.

The park went in during the off-season. The Town's announcement says construction began in October 2025, and the park was paid for with tax increment financing. That is revenue from rising property taxes in the Coligny and Pope Avenue areas, set aside for improvements in those same areas. The money came from the district, and it was spent on a connector inside the district.

The Town also describes the park as within walking distance of both Coligny Beach Park and Lowcountry Celebration Park. Those two parks, plus Coligny Plaza, are where nearly every event below takes place. Several fall evenings this year have more than one thing on, and the lit path between them is new since last fall.

October Stacks Two Events Into Single Evenings

Busy Coligny evenings in October usually come from events stacking up. Jevon Daly's kids' show runs Fridays and Sundays at Coligny Plaza, and in October it starts earlier, from 5 to 7 p.m. In September it ran from 6 to 8. The earlier slot leaves room for later events on the same nights.

Friday, October 16 is the clearest example. The kids' show wraps at 7, and Coligny Plaza lists the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra's free Belafonte program, with René Marie and Etienne Charles, starting at Lowcountry Celebration Park at 7:30 p.m. The listing asks guests to bring their own chairs. One family could see both on foot.

Rock N Ribs two days later has a cause attached. The event page lists all-you-can-eat barbecue from 3 to 5 p.m., sets by Cowboy Mouth and Cranford Hollow, and proceeds going to Second Helpings. The following Friday, the Town's free Crescendo Songwriter Show brings Eric Reid & The Hebron Road Ramblers and guests to Lowcountry Celebration Park from 6 to 8 p.m.

Halloween at Coligny falls on Thursday, October 29. Shops and restaurants across the plaza open their doors for trick-or-treating from 4 to 7 p.m., and the costume contest starts at 6 with prizes in Coligny gift cards. Age groups run from 0–3 up through Teen and Adult/Family. The Coligny Plaza announcement adds one new category:

"New this year: a Pet Category! Dogs and cats are invited to get in on the Halloween fun and show off their best costumes."

There is also a new dinner option between events. CH2 reported that Capri Pizza HHI opened this summer at 5 Lagoon Road, across from Coligny Plaza, serving Chicago-style pan pizza in the space that used to be Rockfish and then Dive Bar.

What the Town Counted in the First Week of October

From Tuesday, October 6 through Friday, October 9, Town devices along South Forest Beach Drive, North Forest Beach Drive and Pope Avenue recorded vehicle volumes and speeds, along with pedestrian and bicycle activity. According to the Town, the data feeds a comprehensive engineering study of existing conditions and possible safety improvements on the Forest Beach corridors.

Those counts came from an October weekday stretch, the week right before the event calendar above picked up. That baseline is different from a July count, and it is the version of these streets that year-round residents use most.

The Town has not published findings, a design or a schedule for the study. Its Strategic Action Plan for Fiscal Years 2026–2028 sets a broad corridor goal focused on safety, mobility, accessibility and connected streets, but it does not name Forest Beach as a separate project. According to a September 2025 Town update, the plan's first-year actions included adopting district plans for Forest Beach-area neighborhoods and businesses. A draft Forest Beach district page is posted, but it has no project timeline. For now, the counts are on file and nothing has been decided.

One change is already in effect. Tanglewood Drive and the pathway beside it at South Forest Beach Drive closed on Monday, October 5, for construction at 2 Tanglewood Drive. Work runs daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the Town expects it to last about four weeks, which puts the end around early November. Detours are posted, and homes and businesses north of the closure can still be reached from Nassau Street. That means the pathway is closed during the busiest stretch of the October calendar, including the walk to Halloween at Coligny for anyone coming up South Forest Beach Drive.

November Moves the Crowd Into the Street

Once October is over, the events move from fixed venues onto the streets. On Saturday, November 7, The Ice Cream Cone at Coligny hosts the 2026 Toy Drive kickoff from 2 to 5 p.m. Guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy.

The Lantern Parade follows on November 14 and covers the most ground of any event this fall. The 2026 route details put lineup on Alder Lane at 5 p.m. and step-off at 5:45. The parade ends at Lowcountry Celebration Park, and the page suggests arriving early to eat at Coligny restaurants first. The route moves people on foot through the same district the Town counted in early October, only in the dark and as one large group.

A smaller evening comes a week later. Coligny Plaza lists a Slowcountry Songwriter Session with W. Angie Aparo at Slowcountry BBQ on November 21 at 6:15 p.m. The post went up in July, but no year is printed beside the date, so it is worth confirming with the restaurant before you plan around it.

December's One Open Question

The calendar ends at Beach House, 1 South Forest Beach Drive. The Coastal Christmas Market listing runs it on Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 9 p.m., and Sunday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Saturday session follows the annual tree lighting at Lowcountry Celebration Park.

The tree lighting itself is the one date still missing. The market listing ties its Saturday hours to the lighting, but the Town had not posted a 2026 date or time for it as of this writing. Last year's schedule is not a reliable guide, so the Town's news page is the place to watch.

The Town's corridor study is also still pending. Its counts captured these streets in early October, just before the calendar ramped up, and whatever comes from that study will affect how people walk to every event listed here.

If you would like to talk through what the pocket park, the corridor study or the district plan could mean for a home near Coligny, Tyler Stone watches those changes closely and is glad to walk you through it. Contact Tyler.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.