Here at Nautical Ventures, we love the holiday season, especially when it involves boating. Luckily for us, we live in Florida, so just about every day of the year involves boating in some capacity. Incorporate your favorite hobby into this holiday season by making your vessel festive. Once you decorate your boat, you can share the holiday spirit by participating in events with other boaters.

Put Christmas Lights on Your Boat

People all over the country deck the halls for the holiday season. Here in South Florida, we prefer to deck the deck. Add some festive decorations to your boat, and make it extra cozy by putting some blankets and pillows on board. Once you’ve gathered everything you need for a relaxing holiday cruise, string some lights on your boat to turn it into a moving holiday decoration.

Where are the Holiday Boating Activities in Southern Florida?

One of the great things about this state is that so many holiday activities in Florida involve boating in some way. Several Florida boat parades are coming up during the 2019 holiday season, so you can find one just about anywhere. Here are just a few of the notable ones:

Fort Lauderdale Boat Parade

Fort Lauderdale is home to one of the biggest and most famous holiday boating events in the state. December 14th, 2019, is the date for the 48th annual holiday boat parade in this part of Florida, and it’s scheduled for a Saturday to ensure a huge turnout. It starts in the downtown area, then covers about 12 miles over 2½ hours. From smaller private boats to massive luxury yachts, you’ll see some of the finest vessels in this area showing off their holiday cheer.

Tampa Bay Holiday Light Boat Parade

The Riverwalk Boat Parade in Tampa Bay is exactly one week after the event in Fort Lauderdale this year. It is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 21st, and will cover the water near Harbour Island, Davis Island, and the Channelside District. People from all of the surrounding areas flock to the pier to admire all of the lights out on the water. Before and after the parade, people normally like to gather at the Channelside Bay Plaza or go out in downtown Tampa.

Palm Beach Boat Parade

If you can’t wait until later in December to start celebrating the holidays on your boat, you might want to catch the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade on Saturday, December 7th. This year will be the 25th annual version of the parade, and you can also participate in the 20th annual toy drive that’s associated with this event. The toy drive portion of the evening benefits Little Smiles and Toys for Tots, so you can feel good about your charitable donation as you cruise from Palm Beach to Jupiter.

Sarasota Christmas Boat Parade

The Sarasota Christmas Boat Parade of Lights takes place the same day as the event in Fort Lauderdale. On the evening of Saturday, December 14th, the SNN 6 local news staff will cover this event, and boats can be judged for a contest by passing on the marina side of Bayfront Park.

Cape Coral Holiday Boat Along

This parade is on the 21st of December from 4-10 pm at Four Freedoms Park on Cape Coral Pkwy. Kids of all ages get a last chance to put an idea in Santa’s ear for stocking stuffers since he’ll be visiting along with the boat parade! There will also be food and Christmas music for the whole family to enjoy.

Does Santa Know You’re Looking for a New Boat?

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to get a shiny new toy for yourself, the holiday season is it. Come to Nautical Ventures to get a new boat before the holiday season rolls around, and you’ll be able to show off your new vessel in any of Florida’s boat parades. Contact us today to start getting ready.

For a complete list of all the boating parades and family activities over the holidays, check out the 2019 Holiday Boat Calendar here.

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Matt A. Claiborne