Boat Parades 2026: Newport Beach Dec. 16-20, San Diego Dec. 13

Boat parades in 2026 begin with Seattle’s Parade of Boats on Friday, Dec. 11, and finish with Newport Beach, California, which runs Wednesday, Dec. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 20, according to the organizers’ own pages. Newport Beach’s Christmas Boat Parade starts at about 6:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) each night, or 9:30 p.m. ET.

The table puts six harbor parades in date order with each local start time, our Eastern Time (ET) conversion and where to watch from shore. Where an organizer has not posted a detail, the table says so. A printable boat parade checklist is at the end. Parades on land are in our Christmas parades 2026 story.

Boat parade dates and start times by harbor, 2026

Date	City and event	Local start	ET start	Where to watch from shore
Fri., Dec. 11	Seattle, Argosy Christmas Ship Festival Parade of Boats	8:00 p.m. PT (departs Lake Union Park)	11:00 p.m. ET	Evanston Plaza in Fremont, about 8:20 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. PT
Sat., Dec. 12	Fort Lauderdale, Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade	6:00 p.m. ET	6:00 p.m. ET	Ticketed Parade Viewing Area
Sat., Dec. 12	Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade	6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. PT	9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET	Burton Chace Park
Sat., Dec. 12	Annapolis, Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade	Not yet announced	Not yet announced	Not yet announced
Sun., Dec. 13 and Sun., Dec. 20	San Diego Bay Parade of Lights	5:30 p.m. PT	8:30 p.m. ET	Along the bayfront; the organizer says to arrive early
Wed., Dec. 16 to Sun., Dec. 20	Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade	About 6:30 p.m. PT each night	About 9:30 p.m. ET	Marina Park, free

The ET column is our conversion: Pacific Time is three hours behind Eastern Time. Seattle’s 8:00 p.m. departure falls at 11:00 p.m. ET, so viewers in the East who want a live look need a late evening.

Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade: Dec. 16-20 and Marina Park

The organizer lists the parade for Wednesday through Sunday, Dec. 16-20, 2026, beginning at approximately 6:30 p.m. each night. Opening night, Wednesday, Dec. 16, has fireworks at approximately 6:15 p.m. The route starts and ends at the Tip of Lido Isle.

For a free spot, the organizer points to the 10.5-acre Marina Park at 1600 W Balboa Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92663, and says it is open to the public with free admission.

San Diego Bay Parade of Lights: two Sundays

The 56th Annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is on Dec. 13 and Dec. 20, 2026, both Sundays, with a 5:30 p.m. start. The 2026 theme is “Liberty Lights the Bay - Cheers to 250 Years.” The organizer says the parade proceeds along the bayfront to the pier at Chicano Park before turning toward Coronado, and asks viewers to arrive early “as it gets crowded at the top locations.” The page does not state the start or end points in text.

Seattle Christmas Ship Festival: shore stops and Dec. 11

Argosy Cruises lists the 2026 season from Nov. 27 to Dec. 23. The Parade of Boats on Friday, Dec. 11 departs Lake Union Park at 8:00 p.m., with onshore viewing at Evanston Plaza in Fremont at about 8:20 p.m. to 9:10 p.m. The schedule also lists public onshore stops, such as Alki Beach on Friday, Nov. 27 at about 8:35 p.m. to 8:55 p.m. and Boxcar Park on Sunday, Nov. 29 at about 4:10 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The page does not say whether shore viewing is free.

Fort Lauderdale, Marina del Rey and Annapolis on Dec. 12

Three boat parades share Saturday, Dec. 12.

• Fort Lauderdale: the Winterfest parade and fireworks are at 6:00 p.m., with a 5:30 p.m. pre-show of non-motorized vessels. The organizer says the parade starts at Stranahan House, runs a 12-mile route and ends at Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach. Viewing areas are ticketed; the Christmas parades story has the ticket price range.
• Marina del Rey: the 64th annual parade, run by the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors, is from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with viewing at Burton Chace Park.
• Annapolis: Visit Annapolis lists the Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade for Dec. 12 and says details will be shared when they are available.

Which boat parades have no 2026 dates yet?

Charleston, South Carolina, Naples Island in Long Beach, California, and Tampa, Florida, had not posted 2026 dates on the pages we checked on Nov. 9. Annapolis has a date but no start time.

Printable boat parades 2026 checklist

The one-page checklist lists all six parades by date, with start times in four U.S. time zones, where to watch and a column to tick off the ones you plan to attend. Mark the dates on the December 2026 printable calendar, and count down to Christmas Day. Other light displays are in our Christmas tree lightings and botanical garden holiday lights stories.