You're Invited to the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade

Every year, as many as 100 boats, decked out in their Christmas best, parade along a 14-mile route in Newport Harbor. Boats of all shapes and sizes join in the parade fun, everything from kayaks and canoes to 100-foot super-yachts. This year marks the 109th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, a tradition that has been running almost since the city’s founding.

The parade will run five consecutive nights, December 13th-17th, 2017. The “OG of the OC,” Vicki Gunvalson, TV personality best known for her starring role in the Bravo reality television series The Real Housewives of Orange County, will be the opening night grand marshal, kicking off the festivities on Wednesday, December 13th, beginning with a special firework display at 6:15 PM from Newport Pier. Closing out in the same spectacular fashion, there will be special firework show from the Balboa Pier on the final night of the parade at 9 PM on December 17th.

Hosted by The Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the boat parade is seen by upwards of a million people annually and has become one of the longest-running holiday traditions in the country. The parade will begin at approximately 6:30 PM each evening and end at 9 PM at the tip of Lido Isle, which is a new starting point for the parade this year.

Locals and visitors alike can enjoy the spectacle from a variety of public viewing locations including numerous waterfront restaurants and the new 10.5-acre Marina Park. The park will be a fantastic location for families to watch the parade, especially on opening night with festivities that include an appearance by the Charger Girls (5-6 PM), a Los Angeles Charger football toss area, photo opportunities with Rudolph and Frosty, a performance by Orange County School of the Art’s Performance Ambassadors MONTAGE!, caricature artists, face painters, and a variety of food vendors. The parade should pass Marina Park just after 6:45 PM each evening. And on opening and closing nights, spectators will have an ample view of the fireworks from the park.

To top it all off, serving as the backdrop for the parade is the annual "Ring of Lights" waterfront-decorating contest. A separate competition and a marvel all its own, bayside homes and businesses surrounding the harbor display their Christmas spirit and compete for prizes for the best decorations.

For more information about the 109th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, visit www.christmasboatparade.com

Boaters interested in participating in the parade can find out more information at www.christmasboatparade.com/enter/

Photos provided by Newport Beach & Company. Featured Image provided by Bleu Cotton Photography