Show Season in Wellington: What Buyers and Renters Should Know Before January

Every winter, Wellington changes rhythm. From late December into early May, the village's calendar revolves around horses: show jumping and hunters at Wellington International, dressage at the Global Dressage Festival and Sunday polo at the National Polo Center. If you're thinking about buying here, renting for the season or renting out a home you own, it helps to understand that calendar before January arrives.

What "show season" actually means

The centerpiece is the Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International, the venue formerly known as the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, which was rebranded in 2022. The festival runs about 13 weeks, from January through late March. For 2027, Wellington International's official schedule opens with Premiere Week, January 6 to 10, 2027, and daytime general admission is free Wednesday through Sunday. The show grounds cover more than 111 acres with 18 competition arenas, at 3400 Equestrian Club Drive.

Running alongside it, the Global Dressage Festival is scheduled for eight weeks in 2027, from January 13 to March 7, with Equestrian Village listed as its venue.

Then there's polo. In June 2022, the United States Polo Association bought International Polo Club Palm Beach, all 161 acres, and renamed it the USPA National Polo Center–Wellington. Its most recent winter season opened in late December 2025, featured the USPA Gold Cup and the U.S. Open Polo Championship through March and April, and closed with its final Sunday matches in early May 2026. Expect a similar late-December-to-early-May shape each year, and check the published schedule for exact dates.

If you're buying: see Wellington in season and out of it

The best advice I can give a buyer considering Wellington is to see it twice if you can: once in the thick of show season and once in the quieter months. The same street can feel different in February than it does in August, and you should know both before you commit.

A few things to think through:

• Where the home sits relative to the venues. For some buyers, being close to the show grounds or the polo fields is the whole point. For others, a little distance matters more. There's no right answer, only your answer.
• Inside or outside the Equestrian Preserve. If horses are part of your plan, the zoning that applies to the property matters more than anything on the listing sheet. My article on the two Wellingtons explains the difference, and my equestrian properties page goes deeper.
• The association's leasing rules. If you hope to rent your home out during the season, read the HOA's rules before you buy. They vary from community to community, and they can decide whether a seasonal lease is possible at all.

Free daytime admission at the Winter Equestrian Festival makes it easy to spend an afternoon at the show grounds before you decide. It's one of the best ways I know to understand what Wellington is like in winter.

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The same street can feel different in February than it does in August. Know both before you commit.

If you're renting for the season

Seasonal rentals follow a few rules worth knowing before you sign:

• Tax on short stays. In Palm Beach County, rentals of six months or less are treated as transient and are subject to the county's 6 percent Tourist Development Tax plus state sales tax. Ask whether the rent you've been quoted includes those taxes.
• The radon notice. Florida requires a radon notice on rental agreements, except for transient stays of 45 days or less, so don't be surprised to see it in a longer seasonal lease.
• Association approval. If the home is in an association, ask whether the lease needs the association's approval. The rules vary by community, and an approval step has its own application and timeline, so start early enough that it isn't the thing that delays your move-in.

If you're looking for a seasonal or annual rental, my renting page explains how I help renters, and I'm glad to talk through timing.

If you're a landlord

Renting out a Wellington home, for a season or a year, comes with Village requirements that are easy to miss:

• Business Tax Receipt. Wellington requires a Business Tax Receipt from owners who rent residential units for any length of time. Planning and Zoning reviews each one, and rentals must comply with the Village's definition of "family" in its Land Development Regulations, which includes a limit of four unrelated persons among other definitions.
• Vacation Rental Permit. If you offer the home for rent more than three times a year for stays of less than 30 days, you also need a Vacation Rental Permit under Ordinance 2023-13, in effect since March 1, 2024. The Village lists the fee as $600 per unit, and the Business Tax Receipt is still required.
• Tourist Development Tax. For rentals of six months or less, the landlord must register a Tourist Development Tax account with the Palm Beach County Tax Collector.
• Disclosures. Florida requires landlords to disclose, in writing, the name and address of the landlord or an authorized agent at or before the start of the tenancy. For leases of one year or longer, landlords must also give a flood disclosure at or before signing.

Before you leave for the summer

Show season ends just as another season approaches. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so if your Wellington home will sit empty over the summer, make a plan before you go: who checks on it, how it's secured and how you'll hear about storms. The Village runs AlertWellington for emergency notifications, and it's worth signing up even if you're only here in winter.

A simple calendar

The season at a glance

• Late December: the National Polo Center's winter season begins.
• January 6 to 10, 2027: Winter Equestrian Festival Premiere Week at Wellington International.
• January 13 to March 7, 2027: Global Dressage Festival.
• Late March: the Winter Equestrian Festival's final weeks.
• Early May: the polo season's final Sunday matches.
• June 1 to November 30: Atlantic hurricane season.

If you're planning a move, a purchase or a seasonal lease around these dates, text me. The earlier we start, the more choices you'll have. And if you're still getting to know the village, my Wellington community guide is a good place to begin.

Sources · 15

1. Wellington International: Winter Equestrian Festival event schedule · viewed September 27, 2026
2. Wellington International: Global Dressage Festival event schedule · viewed September 27, 2026
3. Wikipedia: Winter Equestrian Festival · viewed September 27, 2026
4. Chronicle of the Horse: Palm Beach International Equestrian Center rebrands as Wellington International (Mar 2022) · viewed September 27, 2026
5. Tryon: Wellington International acquisition release (Oct 22, 2024) · viewed September 27, 2026
6. WFLX: International Polo Club Palm Beach sold, to undergo name change (June 2022) · viewed September 27, 2026
7. Town-Crier: National Polo Center unveils 2026 winter season schedule (Sept 2025) · viewed September 27, 2026
8. Palm Beach County Tax Collector: Tourist Development Tax · viewed September 27, 2026
9. Village of Wellington: Rental Properties (Business Tax Receipt) · viewed September 27, 2026
10. Village of Wellington: Vacation Rentals · viewed September 27, 2026
11. Florida Statutes s. 404.056: radon disclosure · viewed September 27, 2026
12. Florida Statutes s. 83.512: flood disclosure for residential leases · viewed September 27, 2026
13. Florida Statutes s. 83.50: landlord disclosure · viewed September 27, 2026
14. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Climatology · viewed September 27, 2026
15. Village of Wellington: Hurricane Preparedness · viewed September 27, 2026