Holiday Boat Parades

Holiday Boat Parades 2018

One of the best parts of the season? Holiday Boat Parades. Check out a parade near you.

Mid-Atlantic

November 24

WICOMICO YACHT CLUB
TOYS FOR TOTS CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
7 pm, Wicomico River
Salisbury, MD
(410) 219-5248
wicomicoyachtclub.com

December 1

2018 ALEXANDRIA HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS
5:30 pm, Alexandria Waterfront
Alexandria, VA
visitalexandriava.com/holidays/boat-parade/

22nd ANNUAL YORKTOWN LIGHTED BOAT PARADE
6-8pm, Yorktown Waterfront
Yorktown, VA
(757) 890-4970
visityorktown.org/211/Boat-Parade

December 8

EASTPORT YACHT CLUB LIGHTS PARADE
6 pm, Annapolis Harbor and Spa Creek Waterfront
Annapolis, MD
(410) 267-9549
eastportyc.org

SOLOMONS LIGHTED BOAT PARADE
6:15 pm, Solomons Yachting Center
Solomons, MD
(410) 326-2401
solomonsmaryland.com

Southeast Seaboard

November 24

BOAT PARADE OF LIGHTS
7:15 pm, Savannah River
Savannah, GA
(912) 201-2201
savannahharborfoundation.com

November 24-25

35th ANNUAL NORTH CAROLINA HOLIDAY FLOTILLA
6 pm, Wrightsville Beach
Wrightsville, NC
(910) 256-2120
ncholidayflotilla.org

December 8

37th ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARADE OF BOATS
5:30 pm, Charleston Maritime Center
Charleston, SC
(843) 724-7414
swagertyr@charleston-sc.gov

SOUTHPORT CHRISTMAS FLOTILLA
7 pm, Cape Fear River from Southport
Marina to Kingsley Street
Southport, NC
(910) 279-4616
ncbrunswick.com/event/christmas-flotilla-southport-nc

The Bahamas

December 15

SIR DURWARD KNOWLES FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
Nassau
(242) 427-3735
festivaloflightsbahamas.com

The Caribbean

December 8

CROIX CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
6pm, St. Croix, U.S.V.I
(340) 643-0555
stcroixchristmasboatparade.com

Gulf Coast

December 1

37th ANNUAL HARBOR LIGHTS FESTIVAL AND BOAT PARADE
7pm, Bayfront Marina
Corpus Christi, TX
(361) 510-0480
harborlightscc.com

December 8

57th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BOAT LANE PARADE
6 pm, South Shore Harbor Marina
Clear Lake
Houston, TX
(281) 488-7676
clearlakearea.com/events

DELCAMBRE CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
5:30 pm, Delcambre Docks
Delcambre, LA
(337) 577-3807
facebook.com/delcambreboatparade

Florida

November 24

JACKSONVILLE LIGHT PARADE
6:30 pm, St. Johns River
Jacksonville
specialevents.coj.net/Special-Events

December 1

24th ANNUAL PALM BEACH HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE
6 pm, on the ICW from North Palm
Beach to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
Palm Beach
(561) 863-0012
palmbeachboatparade.org

30th ANNUAL FORT MYERS BEACH CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
6 pm, Matanzas Harbor
Fort Myers Beach
(239) 454-7500
fmbboatparade.com

DAYTONA BEACH CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
Halifax River
Daytona Beach
(386) 255-7459
hryc.com

VENICE CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
6pm, starts north of Albee Road Bridge then south along the ICW
Venice
(305) 497-5405
venicechristmasboatparade.com

December 8

33rd ANNUAL SARASOTA HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE
6 pm, Sarasota Bay
Sarasota
(941) 637-1655
sarasotachristmasboatparade.com

43rd ANNUAL IEYC HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE
6:30 pm, Coachman Park
Clearwater
(727) 461-3949
floridabywater.com

BONITA SPRINGS BOAT PARADE
5 pm, Imperial River
Bonita Springs
(239) 495-0455
bonitaboatparade.com

KEY LARGO BOAT PARADE
7:30 pm, starts at Blackwater Sound
MM 104
Key Largo
(305) 394-3736
keylargoboatparade.com

NAPLES CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
6:15-8:30pm, Naples City Dock
Naples
(239) 682-0900
miacc.org

REGATTA OF LIGHTS
6pm, downtown on the bayfront
St. Augustine
(904) 824-9725
staugustineyachtclub.com

37th ANNUAL MARTIN COUNTY CHRISTMAS BOAT PARADE
6pm, Jensen Beach Causeway
Stuart
(772) 692-7599
discovermartin.com

December 9

31st ANNUAL HOLIDAY ON THE HARBOR DESTIN BOAT PARADE
6pm, Destin Harbor
Destin
(850) 837-6611
visitflorida.com

December 14

47th ANNUAL HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE
6:30pm, along ICW between the Lantana Bridge and C-15 Canal
Boynton/Delray Beach
(561) 600-9097
catchboyton.com

56th ANNUAL POMPANO BEACH BOAT PARADE
7 pm, starts at Lake Santa Barbara
Pompano Beach
(954) 941-2940
pompanobeachchamber.com

December 15

21th ANNUAL MIAMI OUTBOARD CLUB HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE
7 pm, Bayfront Park
Miami
(305) 668-6176
mocholidayboatparade.com

SEMINOLE HARD ROCK WINTERFEST BOAT PARADE
6:30pm, New River and ICW
Fort Lauderdale
(954) 767-0686
winterfestparade.com

December 22^nd

32nd ANNUAL ILLUMINATED BOAT PARADE
5 pm, Vinoy Basin waterfront
St. Petersburg
(727) 822-3277
stpeteboatparade.org

42nd ANNUAL HOLIDAY BOAT PARADE
6:30-8pm, starts at C-15 Canal on the ICW
Boca Raton
(561) 367-7073
myboca.us

PUNTA GORDA BOAT PARADE
6pm, Punta Gorda
(941) 637-1655
puntagordaboatparade.com

RIVERWALK LIGHTED BOAT PARADE
6:30pm, view at Channelside Bay Plaza
Tampa
thetampariverwalk.com

Going once, going twice….Marina Jack SOLD!

Marina Jack in Sarasota, Florida, recognized as National Marina of the Year in 2015, has been sold to Suntex Marina Investors LLC. The Dallas-based investment firm did not disclose the sale price. The merger includes the 316-slip marina in downtown Sarasota, adjacent to Oleary’s Tiki Bar, as well as Bayfront Yacht Works & Marina, Bayfront Excursions and Turtle Beach Grill on south Siesta Key, Florida. “This is without question a merger of strengths from an operational and managerial standpoint,” says Robert L. Soran, CEO of Marina Jack. “We share a vision of future growth opportunities for our people and our combined companies.” Soran will have an equity interest and board advisory capacity with Suntex. Suntex now has a portfolio of 34 marinas in Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and St. Maarten.

With direct, no-bridge access to the Gulf of Mexico, Marina Jack’s marina operations have kept up facelifts and improvements at a pace that is matching the transformation of downtown Sarasota. The marina features slip accommodations for vessels up to 228 feet with 316 wet and dry slips, a full-service fuel dock, ship’s store, and an on-site Yacht Services department. Downtown Sarasota has become a trendy center for urban condo living and features many eclectic street-side dining venues for foodies, a Saturday morning farmers market, and an ever-changing collection of boutique shops that are favorites of cruisers.

Marina Jack acquired the Turtle Beach Marina in September of 2015. Now known as Bayfront Yacht Works & Marina, this south Siesta Key business features a full-service boatyard with haul-out capabilities for vessels up to 65 feet. Bayfront Yacht Works & Marina adds an additional 60 dry and wet slips to the portfolio, along with a rapidly growing boat and watersport rental business known as Bayfront Excursions. The merger also includes three well-known restaurants, including the Marina Jack II—a 96-foot passenger vessel known for Sarasota’s preeminent sightseeing and sunset dinner cruises.

Holiday Boat Parades

While a few communities are struggling to rebuild docks and find enough money just to survive, let alone sponsor annual lighted boat parades, the show will go on in some of Florida’s Panhandle cities.

• Carrabelle, December 10^th: The Boat Parade course starts at the Pavilion on Marine Street and proceeds up the Carrabelle River to the Tillie Miller Bridge. It can be enjoyed from anywhere along Marine Street and Highway 98. carrabelle.org

• Destin, December 11^th: Judging of the 30^th Annual Harbor Lighted Boat Parade will start at 6PM upstairs at Harry T’s Restaurant. Boats will start lining up in the harbor between 5-5:30PM. Fireworks in the East Pass will light up the sky after the parade.

• Cedar Key and Steinhatchee have both sustained significant dock damage, and at press time, were unsure whether the events normally scheduled for the first week of December would take place.

By Alan Wendt, Southern Boating Magazine December 2016

Caribbean Carnivals

Parades and parties kick off the celebrations held to commemorate St. Lucia Day on December 13^th. Named for the patron saint of light, St. Lucy, this holiday was founded on the commonly held belief that Christopher Columbus discovered St. Lucia on this day in 1502. This idea has been soundly disproven, but it hasn’t stopped the Carnival-like atmosphere that lasts right up until Christmas. The don’t-miss highlight is the Festival of Lights. Days before, residents throughout the island decorate their homes with homemade lanterns. The real spectacle begins when the sun sets on December 13^th with a parade of people carrying beautiful lanterns around Derek Walcott Square in the capitol city of Castries. Other festivities include choir competitions, street parties with live bands, fish fries and food sales, and local sporting competitions such as a game of cricket. stlucianow.com

St. Kitts & Nevis Carnival

National pride combines with Christmas spirit to make the St. Kitts & Nevis Carnival or “Sugar Mas” unlike many other islands’ carnival celebrations throughout the year. Calypso competitions begin mid-December and include beauty pageants and the naming of the Carnival Queen—complete with the crowing of the Calypso Monarch. The real entertainment heats up December 26^th with J’ouvert, a street jam where revelers follow their favorite bands whose instruments and sound systems are located on the backs of trucks. The Grand Carnival Parade, a massive show of costumed dancers, stilt-walking Mocko Jumbies, steel pan bands, and decorated floats, takes place in this dual-island nation’s capital of Basseterre on New Year’s Day. stkittsneviscarnival.com

Carriacou Parang Festival

Local and visiting islands’ string bands play a blend of Christmas carols with traditional folk tunes at the annual music festival held on Grenada’s offshore island of Carriacou December 19-21. The Festival started in 1977 as a way to keep alive the age-old custom of bands walking house to house to serenade friends and family. Today, eight-piece percussion bands carry on this tradition and compete for prizes. The big contest, held on the tennis court in Hillsborough, entails performing one Christmas carol and one piece of the band’s own choosing, which may be in keeping with the seasonal theme or a calypso-like satire on island life and politics. It’s easy to make it a day trip to visit Carriacou for the Parang Festival. Ferries depart several times daily from St. George’s for the 90-minute trip to Hillsborough, and a flight on a commuter air carrier takes only 15 minutes. carriacouparangfestival.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating December 2014