"After the Nor'easter this past weekend, Rehoboth Beach lost a lot of beach along the whole length of it, but we should slowly get some back."
The City of Rehoboth Beach posted that line on September 28, 2026, less than two weeks after the meters came off. The timing matters. The off-season rules that open the beach to locals started on September 16. Then the storm narrowed the beach those rules apply to. For the next six weeks, Rehoboth's calendar runs mostly inland. Sea Witch is centered on Rehoboth Avenue and the Bandstand. The new Community Fair sits on the same Bandstand. The Rehoboth Beach International Film Festival screens in Lewes and comes back to town for two evenings, one of them at the Convention Center on the Avenue.
What the Storm Left at Each End of the Beach
The City's update reads like a map. Damage varies from block to block, so it matters most to anyone with a regular morning route.
| Location | Condition reported by the City, Sept. 28, 2026 |
|---|---|
| South side | Dunes are okay |
| Maryland Ave. ADA ramp | Some damage on the beach end |
| Olive Ave. north | Major fence and dune damage |
| Surf Ave. drive-on ramp, north end | Now has a drop-off |
The City has asked DNREC for compacted sand to fix the Surf Avenue ramp. Until that work is done, the south end has the most intact dunes in town. North of Olive Avenue, expect broken fencing and a beach still recovering from the storm.
Free Parking, Dogs and Bikes Arrived Just Before the Storm
On Wednesday, September 16, parking became free throughout the city. You no longer need a meter, the ParkMobile app or a permit, and that lasts until May 15. The same City notice confirms the other two post-season changes. Leashed dogs are now allowed on the beach and the boardwalk, and bikes may ride the boardwalk during the day.
So dog walkers and morning cyclists got their access back on a beach the storm reshaped ten days later. The boardwalk is now the dependable route. On the sand, the dunes south of Olive Avenue are in the best shape for now.
Two inland changes also affect weekly errands. The Farmers' Market is back at Grove Park after a few weeks of tree work. The Grove Street lot is closed to public parking and through traffic because vendors' vehicles are set up there. The City's fall water-main project covers Sussex and Kent streets between Third and Fourth streets, plus Silver Lane, where street repaving is also planned.
Sea Witch Weekend Runs on the Avenue
The Sea Witch Festival is October 23 through 25, 2026, with Rehoboth Avenue as its listed address. In 2025 the festival ran Friday, October 24 to Sunday, October 26. This year keeps the same Friday-through-Sunday format and starts one calendar day earlier.
The 2026 addition is aimed at locals. The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce has added its first-ever Community Fair for local nonprofits, community organizations and service providers. It is set for the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand on Friday, October 23, from noon to 5 p.m. That puts Rehoboth's own organizations at the center of town on the afternoon before the parade crowds arrive.
Here is the confirmed sequence, with the parking and cleanup rules that affect anyone who lives or parks near the Avenue:
- Friday, Oct. 23, 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.: Overnight parking is not allowed in any Rehoboth Avenue space.
- Friday, Oct. 23, noon to 5 p.m.: Community Fair at the Bandstand.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, from 1 a.m.: Parking in the Rehoboth Avenue median is prohibited until the costume parade ends.
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m.: The costume parade steps off at 4th Street. It heads west to State Road, turns back east on Rehoboth Avenue, circles the Bandstand and returns to 4th Street.
- After the parade: Chairs, coolers and blankets left unattended on Rehoboth Avenue will be collected and held at 20476 Lincoln Street until 4 p.m. Monday, October 26.
The 2026 program lists the Broom Tossing Contest, the Sea Witch Hunt and route information for the Dog Costume Parade. The Chamber's volunteer schedule offers two hints about timing. It staffs Beach Games and Broom Toss on Saturday from 1:30 to 4 p.m., and it staffs the dog parade on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m. Those are volunteer shifts, not published start times. The program also notes that activities can change, so check the Chamber's 2026 program before planning around a specific contest.
The chair rule needs no planning for anyone who carries their chairs home. If you save a spot on the Avenue for the morning and leave it, though, plan for a trip to Lincoln Street on Monday.
The Film Festival Comes Back to Town for Two Evenings
A week after Sea Witch, the 28th annual Rehoboth Beach International Film Festival runs November 1 through 8, 2026. Tickets went on public sale today, October 3, at $15 for Rehoboth Beach Film Society members and $18 for everyone else.
Every listed screening venue has a Lewes address. The festival hub is Hyatt House at 17254 Five Points Square. Films screen at Cinema Art Theater at 17701 Dartmouth Drive, at the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware at 30486 Lewes-Georgetown Highway, and at Lewes Public Library at 111 Adams Avenue. The Film Society lists free parking at all sites. A typical festival day means driving north on Route 1 toward Five Points rather than walking downtown.
Two evenings bring the festival back to Rehoboth. On Monday, November 2, from 4:45 to 6:30 p.m., the festival holds a members' spotlight event celebrating Cinema Art Theater's anniversary at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center. Tickets are $100. Rehoboth Beach Main Street's newsletter gives the Convention Center's address as 229 Rehoboth Avenue and calls it the theater's 10th anniversary. On Thursday, November 5, the Red Carpet Welcome Cocktail Soirée runs from 8:30 p.m. to midnight at Above the Dunes in Rehoboth Beach, with tickets at $75.
The Corner at the Top of the Avenue Is Still Waiting
The One Rehoboth Hotel site sits where Rehoboth Avenue meets the boardwalk, and its timeline has slipped through the fall. A January 2026 plan delayed demolition of the two remaining buildings, the former Dolle's Candyland and Kohr Bros. Frozen Custard, until September. An 18- to 19-month build of a 60-room hotel with ground-floor retail and restaurant space was set to follow.
On August 11, the Cape Gazette reported no site work for more than 12 months and said the developer had declined to comment on demolishing the remaining buildings. By August 28, the hotel team was pursuing a redesign driven by costs, which needs further Planning Commission approval. As of early October, no published report confirms that demolition has begun. The redesign still has to go back to the Planning Commission.
Where to Eat Between Events
The places to eat between parade-route stops and festival screenings are mostly a block south of the Avenue. Delaware Today's September 18 fall guide lists Pazzo Italiano Market & Kitchen, the next chapter for Frank & Louie's, at 58 Baltimore Avenue. Across the street, The Market at 59 Baltimore and the restaurant Fifty Nine share one building at 59 Baltimore Avenue. The guide also says The Sea Hag Champagne Lounge is coming to the former Ruff Life cottage at 46 Baltimore Avenue but gives no opening date. Rehoboth Beach Main Street's October newsletter adds SeaGlass Bistro, a new sister restaurant to Kiwi's Cove at 23 Baltimore Avenue.
For a stop on the way to Lewes, the same Delaware Today guide reports that Three Notch'd Brewery & Craft Kitchen now occupies the former Iron Hill space at 19815 Coastal Highway. It sits along the Route 1 drive that festival screenings now involve.
The next fixed date after the Monday chair pickup on Lincoln Street is November 1, when the film festival opens in Lewes.
If you're thinking about how a fall like this one, with storm repairs and a boardwalk corner on hold, fits into your own plans for your Rehoboth home, Team Faby is glad to talk it through over a calm, unhurried conversation. Schedule a consultation today.
