No matter where you are in the Northern Hemisphere, spring is such an exciting season, with the promise of warmer weather, trees and tulips in bloom, people feeling the buzz and finally being able to be outside more. Allergies be damned! Springtime in Palm Beach is no exception. The new season carries even more weight on the island, where it “opens” for the spring and summer months and everything from golf to contemporary art shows and boat shows happens all at once. Anyone and everyone is there, and it’s a whole vibe.
Spring break folds into peak social season, which means fun, packed schedules, and overlapping worlds—school families, collectors, friends from all over, and the New York crowd who swore they were staying “just a few days.”
Mornings are strategic. If you want the Lake Trail to yourself, go before 7:30. After that, it’s high traffic with tennis whites, strollers, and visitors on rented bikes. The weather, but also the social calendar, dictates what you pull out of your closet each morning. If you’re joining the late-breakfast crowd at Café Boulud or Sant Ambroeus, think crisp shirting and a blazer that can survive both air-conditioned interiors and the sun on Worth Avenue. Pressed linen shirt dresses for a gallery visit and lunch at Le Bilboquet. Flats during the day because you’ll inevitably be walking more than you planned. Palm Beach in spring is classic simplicity over loud prints. Cashmere sweaters or lightweight jackets for deceptively cool evenings at the Colony Hotel or the Brazilian Court courtyard. Hairstyling that looks effortless but not casual is the goal.
Worth Avenue is at full volume, as is the Royal Poinciana Plaza, and it’s good to shop early before lunch to avoid crowds. I love to showcase my jewelry at trunk shows at shops like Kirna Zabête and often see many familiar faces. Palm Beach Pride at Lake Worth Beach (March 28–29) is a two-day festival that brings out a broad cross-section of the community and many visiting friends. The Palm Beach International Boat Show (March 25-29) changes the tone of the island for a few days. There’s more movement, more energy along Flagler Drive.
Later in April, the crowd lessens after spring break, and locals head to the Delray Affair (April 10–12), where artisans exhibit their works downtown. That’s a morning spent walking, a lunch at Rothman’s or Deck 84, and a cocktail afterward. Every weekend there’s the West Palm Beach GreenMarket on Clematis, which is always a nice market stroll.
Spring isn’t just the most social season in Palm Beach, it’s the one where you feel how interconnected everything is—art, boats, culture, fashion, and friends—and it’s easy to feel the excitement of the opening season.
Jennifer Creel
