Wimauma's December Calendar Runs Through a 1913 Campground on State Road 674

The first Wimauma Camp Meeting took place in 1914 in an open-air barn beside Lake Wimauma. The Church of God had chosen the lakeshore as its permanent campground the year before. The current building, which is enclosed and air-conditioned, went up in 1985.

More than a century later, 5408 State Road 674 is still where much of Wimauma's December happens. The largest public events on this year's local calendar are at the Lake Wimauma campground and at the county's Bethune Park a short drive away. The resort-style lagoon at Southshore Bay adds a couple of small ticketed evenings. If you live anywhere in Wimauma and want to plan the next two months, start with the two oldest gathering places in town.

What Lake Wimauma actually is

Lake Wimauma calls itself a convention and retreat center run as a ministry of the Florida Church of God. The same property also includes an RV park, a retirement community and facilities that outside groups can rent. Because the grounds can be rented, a church campground ends up hosting a carnival-style Santa festival, a vendor market and touring concerts. Some of those events are the church's own, and many are not.

The center's events calendar currently shows one event of its own this fall, the Florida Church of God LifeBuilders retreat "Uncommon Man," on November 20–21. Everything else at the convention center on the schedule below comes from outside organizers using the space.

The season on State Road 674, date by date

The concert line matters because Patch and The JOY FM still list it. Legacy Entertainment and Productions, the promoter, has posted that the December 8 Imperials show "has been canceled due to the lack of participation" and that ticket sales will be refunded. If you bought tickets, that page is the one to check.

Santa's Wonderland, year two

The Santa's Wonderland Festival site announces its second annual event for December 19 and 20, 2026. The ticket prices and daily hours on the site are still from last year. The posted $10 general admission and the free entry for seniors, active military and children 3 and under are labeled 2025, so expect this year's figures to be posted separately.

For a sense of what the first year was like, the Osprey Observer's December 2025 holiday roundup described synthetic snow, free photos with Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves and the Grinch, live performances, inflatables, carnival rides, a petting zoo, and food and craft vendors, with proceeds going to Kittie Corral. Last year's toy-drive page named Kittie Corral and Prime Time Events as the groups behind the festival.

The Holly Jolly Market

A Fairs and Festivals listing shows a free Wimauma Holly Jolly Market on December 12 at the convention center, with more than 100 vendors, food trucks and Santa from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The listing doesn't name an organizer, so treat it as a lead until the event confirms its details.

Bethune Park, the other anchor on the 674 side

Lake Wimauma hosts the ticketed holiday events. Bethune Park is where the county brings its services and the community comes out in large numbers. On October 17 the Bethune Park Recreation Center at 5809 Edina St. held the second annual Wimauma Heart of Hillsborough Community Festival & Resource Fair. The Observer News reported that more than 700 people attended the first one and organizers expected up to 1,000 this year.

The festival was built locally. The Observer News credits Discover Wimauma Inc., Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation and the county's Office of Community Impact with planning it. The program included a soccer clinic, singers from Wimauma Elementary, the Reddick Elementary band and drum corps, and the Sligh Middle Magnet School step team and drummers. The county's event page also listed more than 40 exhibitors, health screenings and a mobile pantry.

The park's future is already on paper. The Bethune Park Master Plan went to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 15, 2025, and was approved unanimously. The concept keeps the existing fields, basketball courts, Boys & Girls Club space and playground. It adds a library and community center, pavilions with restrooms, a central plaza, a splash pad, a heritage trail, public art and workout stations. The plan's probable-cost estimate, based on 2024 figures, is $43,738,000, with $16.25 million of that for the library and community center. The report warns that the costs may change. For questions about where the plan stands, the county's planning page lists Principal Planner Jonah Katz at (813) 914-4501.

Lunch and errands along the same stretch

The places you use day to day in this part of town are within a few blocks of the park. The Wimauma Public Library at 5714 North Street is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It offers public computers, free Wi-Fi, bilingual books and media, and printing, scanning and faxing. If December means printing travel documents or holiday forms, this is the closest place to do it.

Up the road at 5128 State Road 674, Enterprising Latinas runs the Wimauma Opportunity Center, where partner organizations hold regular service hours. CareerSource Tampa Bay is there on Thursdays. The center's listing also has Chef Nieves serving Puerto Rican food Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Earlier this year the center ran a business-development course with Saturday sessions that began March 14, 2026.

Farther along 674, WFLA profiled Taqueria Guanajuato in a 2024 segment. The station reported that the food truck at 5151 SR 674 had been serving tacos and burritos for about 20 years. That report is two years old, so call ahead or drive by before planning a meal around it.

What the lagoon adds

Southshore Bay Lagoon at 16881 Lagoon Shore Blvd. hosts fewer events, and they are smaller. In an October 7 announcement, MetroLagoons listed two December workshops there out of the seven on its fall schedule across the Tampa area: a Holiday Sip & Paint with The Color Express on December 5 and a Fresh Wreath-Making Workshop with The Roaming Petal on December 11. According to the release, Sip & Paint guests decorate their own wine glass and get a complimentary glass of house wine, and wreath-workshop guests build and decorate a fresh wreath. Tickets are sold through MetroLagoons' ticketed events page.

You don't need to be a resident member to go. MetroLagoons says the lagoon is open to resident members and visitors, with tickets sold online or onsite while they last. Day Tickets cover parking, open swim areas, slides, volleyball and the swim-up bar. A Splash Pass adds kayaks, paddleboards and the floating obstacle course. Hours change by the day this time of year. The October calendar has the lagoon closed October 19 and 20, then open 4 to 8 p.m. on October 21, with the water closing at 6. Check the lagoon calendar for the specific date before you go.

The drive to all of it

Most trips between these venues use US 301, and FDOT has two projects there that are due to finish around the holidays. The first is a $13.6 million repaving of 5.67 miles from the Manatee County line to SR 674, which also includes shoulder and turn-lane work. It started September 29, 2025, and FDOT estimates completion in late 2026. The second is a new traffic signal at US 301 and Ayersworth Glen Boulevard, along with resurfacing, pedestrian improvements and lighting. Work began May 19, 2025, and FDOT's estimate is fall 2026. Both project pages post lane closures as they are scheduled. If you plan to drive back from Santa's Wonderland on the evening of December 19, check them that afternoon.

If you're a Wimauma neighbor with questions about your part of town, whether that's near Bethune Park, on the lake side of 674 or in one of the newer communities off 301, Command Properties Florida is glad to talk it through. Schedule a Consultation, and Amanda will share what she knows about the area and how it's changing.