The Wharf Is Closed. Here's What's Still Open at Dana Point Harbor This Holiday Season

In 1971, Don Hansen opened Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching out of a trailer while Dana Point Harbor was still being built. Fifty-five years later the company is back in a trailer. As of Nov. 1, its landside operations run from temporary units next to the harbor parking structure, and the boats keep going out. The Log reported that fishing trips, whale watching, cruises and private charters will all continue through construction.

That trailer is a good guide to the harbor right now. The Wharf closed to the public on Nov. 1 for Phase 4 of the Commercial Core revitalization. Most of what people still come for has moved. The 984-space parking structure finished in 2025 was supposed to be the place you leave the car. This winter it's where you check in for a boat, buy produce on Wednesday and shop the holiday night market. The Island and the water handle almost everything else.

What closed on Oct. 31, and what each business has said

Dana Point Times reported that the remaining Wharf businesses expected to end operations on Oct. 31. Wind & Sea closed earlier, on Sept. 15, because Building 1 needs extensive construction. Each business is handling the gap differently.

None of the restaurants has announced a temporary Dana Point address. Earlier this year, Beach Harbor Pizza, Village Market, Bella Bazaar and The Brig closed their Harbor Village locations on April 30 as Phases 3 and 5 sped up. Put together, that's a lot of familiar counters gone from the harbor at once. The harbor's online restaurant directory still lists several Wharf names, so it isn't a reliable guide for November and December.

If you want a sit-down meal nearby, The Log noted that Dana Marina Plaza, just across Golden Lantern, has restaurants, retailers and service businesses outside the construction area.

The parking structure is now the front door

This is the biggest change in how the harbor works day to day. Most of what used to happen along the Wharf now starts at the structure:

• Dana Wharf Sportfishing & Whale Watching runs from temporary trailers next to the structure as of Nov. 1.
• Catalina Express also moved to an on-site trailer by the structure, so ferry departures keep running.
• The Certified Farmers Market still runs every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., now in the surface lot beside the structure.
• Harbor After Dark, Holiday Edition is a new night market put together with Modern Makers Mart. It runs select Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m. at the structure, with rotating food trucks and seasonal drinks from Coco Bloom Coffee.

Parking stays open. According to The Log, Dana Point Harbor Partners said there would be "no interruption to the Dana Point Harbor Parking Structure, with dedicated parking available for guest excursions, including Dana Wharf and Catalina, as well as permitted boater parking."

Donna Kalez, co-owner of Dana Wharf and daughter of founder Don Hansen, told The Log the move is "a full-circle moment for us," and said the company is "committed as ever to our year-round schedule of fishing, whale watching and harbor experiences."

The water side and the Island are unaffected

Once you're past the structure, most of the harbor works as it did before. Dana Point Harbor Partners has said the Embarcadero, launch ramp, fuel dock and bait barge are not affected by the Wharf construction. The boardwalk, Baby Beach and the Dana Point Fishing Pier are also expected to stay open.

The partnership confirmed that these harbor businesses stay open throughout the project:

1. Capt. Dave's Dolphin Safari
2. Ocean Institute
3. Pure Watersports
4. Dana Point Yacht Club
5. Dana West Yacht Club
6. Aventura Sailing Association

Ocean Institute's December calendar lists a tidepool hike and an aquarium tour on Dec. 5, plus a community beach cleanup on Dec. 6, along with general admission and research-vessel trips on both days. Check the Ocean Institute calendar for times and tickets.

The holiday season runs on the Island and the water

The 2026 calendar fits around the construction. The light displays cover the new harbor entrance, the Island and Bump Out Park near Baby Beach. Several of the biggest gatherings are on the Island near the Richard Henry Dana Jr. statue, and others happen on boats, at the Fishing Pier, at Bump Out Park and at the parking structure.

This year's Boat Parade of Lights theme is "Dana Point's HARBORITAVILLE." The harbor says the public can watch from the Island park areas or the boardwalk, or on a parade charter from Dana Wharf or Captain Dave's. It also warns that the cruises sell out. Boaters who want to enter can register online or at The Marina at Dana Point office.

One thing to check: the harbor's 2026 holiday page describes Whale on the Wharf stops "throughout the Wharf and the Village," but much of both areas is now behind construction fencing. Look at the participating list before you take the kids out with a game card. Santa Paws photos with the harbor's VW bus cost a $15 donation, and all proceeds go to the Pet Project Foundation. Boat Rides with Santa benefit Soroptimist of Capistrano Bay and require reservations.

Whale season starts from the trailer

The busiest stretch for Dana Wharf is about to begin, and it begins in its temporary home. Visit Dana Point says gray whales pass southbound from late November through mid-February and northbound from mid-February into May, with December through April the heart of the local viewing season. That's the typical yearly pattern, not a 2026 forecast.

Don Hansen pushed early for public whale watching in Orange County and founded the Dana Point Festival of Whales. Starting this year's season from a trailer by the garage, as he started the business in 1971, links the old harbor to the new one.

What the fencing is for

Phase 4 is only part of the commercial core. Dana Point Harbor Partners told The Log the new Wharf will have 20,000 square feet of rebuilt waterfront structures, "home to eight brand-new tenants and as many as four returning tenants," along with landscaped public areas, soft seating, public art and space for community events. Across all five phases, the Commercial Core covers about 120,000 square feet and 12 multi-tenant buildings. The partnership says the new storefronts will open together, ahead of the LA28 Summer Olympics, instead of one building at a time. The partnership hasn't announced any new businesses yet.

The dock work is further along. Marina Phase 11 opened for occupancy on May 15, 2026, and Phase 12 opened on Sept. 14. Phase 13 is underway in the 15-phase replacement, according to the harbor's construction schedule. The harbor plans to replace the Marina Inn with two new hotels. That hotel construction is on hold, and the harbor says the Marina Inn is still open and taking reservations through December 2027.

For now, the harbor works if you know the route. Park in the structure, check in at the trailers, shop the lot on Wednesdays and select Thursdays, and walk out to the Island for the lights.

If you're weighing a home near the harbor while the Wharf is fenced off, Alek can go over what the construction schedule could mean for your timing and for the properties you're considering. Aleksander Campos is happy to talk it through. Let's Connect.