It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Newport Beach thanks to the 116th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, to be held December 18 through 22, and the Ring of Lights Home Decorating Contest.
Homes throughout Newport Beach are getting finishing touches on festive decorations, while boat owners are applying colorful light displays to their vessels using the parade’s 2024 theme “Christmas Across the Decades” as their inspiration.
Hosted by The Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Christmas Boat Parade features nearly 100 boats of all shapes and sizes navigating a 14-mile route that starts and ends at the tip of Lido Isle. The parade begins at approximately 6:30 p.m. each night and ends around 9 p.m.
In between, the boats circumnavigate the harbor counterclockwise, cruising past Lido Marina Village, Marina Park, Balboa Island, Balboa Bay Club & Resort and other local landmarks.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to view the parade each night from various vantage points including waterfront restaurants, beaches, parks and other areas.
According to the Boat Parade website, the place to be on opening night, December 18, is Marina Park. The community park offers 177 parking spaces and is the largest public viewing area along the parade route, creating an optimal location to gather and enjoy the festivities, which includes an opening ceremony, front-row parade viewing and the annual Holiday Market in partnership with Creative Communal.
The Holiday Market will feature three dozen local makers, food vendors, live music, entertainment, photo ops and kid activities.
The Opening Night event starts at 4 p.m. with the holiday market, which runs until 8 p.m. A spectacular fireworks show starts at 6:15 p.m. The parade sails past Marina Park at 6:45 p.m. The event is open to the public and admission is free—but get there early to nab a parking spot.
Christmas Boat Parade Welcome from Parade Co-Chairs
“Join us as we celebrate the 116th anniversary of the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade,” wrote Boat Parade Co-Chairs Chris Delfs and Jack Suddarth on the Boat Parade website. “Hailed by The New York Times as one of the nation’s top 10 holiday happenings, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade has also earned the city a ranking of No. 2 in the nation for holiday lights by Yahoo! Travel. This year’s theme is “Christmas Across the Decades” and will pay homage to the holiday seasons throughout the many years.
The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce—a dedicated group of members who provide support for the chamber’s special events. We would like to thank our presenting sponsors, Simple Green and Davey’s Locker, as well as our community sponsors, the City of Newport Beach and Visit Newport Beach, Inc. Planning and preparation for this community spectacular is a year-round undertaking. Organized in partnership with Newport Beach & Co., participants and volunteers, thousands of hours are spent arranging the parade components.
Participating in the Christmas Boat Parade and Ring of Lights is a labor of love. Aside from the time decorating their boats, parade participants spend five nights navigating the parade route for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. In addition, homes in the Ring of Lights contest serve as a colorful backdrop, surrounding the harbor to the delight of those both on and off the water. It is a monumental task, and every boat and home participant deserve to be congratulated.”
Christmas Boat Parade Grand Marshals
The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is a historic and beloved tradition for locals and visitors alike, which is why each night has its own grand marshals. From sports all-stars and television celebrities to local heroes, these marshals have been bestowed the honors as the represent the best of their fields and community spirit.
Wednesday, December 18: McG (Filmmaker, Producer and Director)
McG is a filmmaker who has directed 11 feature films and eight television pilots. He is believed to be the only person in Hollywood history to have written a No. 1 song, produced a No. 1 TV show and directed a No. 1 movie. His features, including “Charlie’s Angels” and “Terminator Salvation,” have grossed over $1.2 billion at the box office. In television, he directed the pilots for “Fastlane” (Fox), “Chuck” (NBC), “The Mysteries of Laura” (NBC), “Shadowhunters” (Freeform), “Lethal Weapon” (Fox) and “Turner & Hooch” (Disney +). McG is the executive producer of over 800 hours of primetime network television, including long-running hits “The O.C.” and “Supernatural.”
McG began his career as a songwriter, co-writing the No. 1 songs “Fly,” “Every Morning” and “Someday” for childhood friends Sugar Ray. During this time he also directed over 50 music videos for a wide range of artists including Sublime, Smash Mouth, and Wyclef Jean.
McG is a partner (with Jordan Otterbein) in River Jetty Restaurants Group, which owns A Restaurant, A Market, CdM Restaurant, A Crystal Cove, and A PCH.
Thursday, December 19: Children from Olive Crest.
Olive Crest is an organization dedicated to preventing child abuse by strengthening, equipping, and restoring children and families in crisis.
Friday, December 20: Newport Beach Police, Fire and Lifeguard Departments
Cheer on our local Fire and Police departments, those first-responders and lifesavers who serve our communities, as they lead the evening’s festivities.
Saturday, December 21: A Night of Holiday Classics
Celebrate the season with live performances of beloved holiday songs, featuring a Bruno Mars cover band, bringing musical magic to the illuminated parade route for an unforgettable experience for all ages.
Sunday, December 22: Corona del Mar High School Drum Line
The CdM Drum Line is one of the premier performing groups at Corona del Mar High School. It serves as a musical ambassador, performing regularly in pep rallies as well as school and community events.
Boat Parade Viewing Sites
Marina Park is an ideal spot to watch the parade, but Balboa Blvd. can get congested on parade nights, and parking spots fill up fast, so if Marina Park is your destination of choice, get there early!
You can also consider the American Legion Post 291 on Balboa Peninsula. They are hosting a parade viewing party on their patio each night of the parade from 4 to 10 p.m. For $55 you get a walk through their taco bar which includes Mexican noodle soup, tacos, rice, beans, tamales, a Southwestern salad and dessert, plus a prime viewing spot. A “No Host Bar” will be available. Corkage is $10 per bottle. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate will also be available. Meal Service starts at 5 p.m. and the Boat Parade begins to pass he American Legion around 6:55 p.m. Visit https://www.al291.com.
Enjoy prime water’s edge seating at the Newport Sea Base. Seating begins at 7 p.m. with the parade passing by the Sea Base at 8:37 p.m. Bring your own snack and non-alcoholic beverages or stop by the boat house and enjoy the snack bar. Seats range from $12 to $18 each. Children under 2 are free (unless they need their own seat). Limited parking available at $25 per vehicle. Visit newportseabase.org for details.
Restaurant Viewing
A handful of restaurants along the parade route offer prime viewing opportunities and even some special Boat Parade menus, but make reservations soon because they will sell out on parade nights.
Restaurants include:
The Lighthouse Bayview Café, 1600 W Balboa Blvd. lighthousenb.com.
Newport Landing Restaurant, 503 East Edgewater. Newport-Landing.com.
Harborside Restaurant, 400 Main Street in Balboa, Harborside-Pavilion.com.
A+O Restaurant | Bar at Balboa Bay Resort, 1221 W. Coast Hwy. balboabayresort.com.
Rusty Pelican Restaurant, 2735 W. Coast Highway. rustypelican.com.
Louie’s by the Bay, 2801 W. Coast Hwy. louiesnewport.com.
The Winery Restaurant and Wine Bar, 3131 W. Coast Hwy. thewineryrestaurant.net.
Nobu, 3450 Via Oporto #101, noburestaurants.com/newportbeach/home/.
Lido Bottle Works, 3408 Via Oporto, Suite 103, http://lidobottleworks.com/.
There are also a handful of restaurants near the parade route that are perfect for dining and then walking to a viewing area. Those include:
Tavern House Kitchen + Bar, 333 Bayside Dr., tavernhousekb.com/.
21 Oceanfront, 2100 West Oceanfront, 21oceanfront.com.
SOL Mexican Cocina, 251 E. Coast Hwy., solcocina.com.
Sapori Ristorante, 1080 Bayside Dr., saporinb.com.
Galley Café, 829 Harbor Island Dr., thegalleycafenewportbeach.com.
Woody’s Diner, 3461 Via Lido. woodysdiners.com.
The Porch, 508 29th Street. meetattheporch.com.
Bayside Restaurant, 900 Bayside Dr., baysiderestaurant.com.
Note: Bayside is an ideal location. They have valet parking and are a five-minute walk to Balboa Island, where you can watch the boat parade from several viewing spots, and also view winners of the Ring of Lights Home Decorating Contest.
Ring of Lights
In addition to the dazzling boats sailing through the harbor, many local homes, businesses and yacht clubs are participating in the Ring of Lights and have gone to great lengths to decorate their properties and add to the festive feel of the boat parade.
Hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Ring of Lights has its own judged categories and prizes awarded.
Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade History
According to the Christmas Boat Parade website, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade began more than 100 years ago when Italian gondolier John Scarpa began the tradition in 1907 by taking a group of visitors from Pasadena across the bay in a gondola decorated with Japanese lanterns.
A year later, on July 4, the first lighted boat parade took place when Scarpa and fellow small boat operators put together a small parade of nine vessels illuminated by Japanese lanterns.
Dubbed the Illuminated Water Parade, it was held again in 1913 but this time the boats were judged and prizes for the best decorated and best lighted vessels were given, similar to the prizes awarded at the current parade.
The parade was held another two years until WWI broke out and the parade went dark until 1919 when Joseph Beek, who operated ferry boats to take autos and passengers from Balboa Island to the peninsula, brought it back by towing floats decorated by children. Many of these floats were built in Beek’s garage and were patterned after those in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.
After that the parade was held every summer through 1949, but city officials felt the parade was drawing too many visitors so it was deemed undesirable.
However, around this time Newport Beach City employees had installed a lighted Christmas tree on a barge and had it towed around the harbor at Christmas time while its passengers sang Christmas carols to residents on shore.
Eventually other boats joined the barge, and soon the Tournament of Lights morphed into a Christmas celebration.
Now, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade features around 100 decorated boats of all sizes and is hosted by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.
Prizes are awarded in several categories, including:
- Sweepstakes Winner – The Bill Lusk Award
- Sweepstakes Winner – Non-Commercial
- Best Humor & Originality (1st – 3rd)
- Best Use of Lights (1st – 3rd)
- Best Animation/Special Effects (1st – 3rd)
- Best Display of Theme
- Best Music
- Best Sailboat
- Best Power Boat
- Best Boat under 30 ft.
- Best New Entry
- Best Yacht Club Entry
- Most Entries from a Yacht Club
For more information about the 115th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, including a route map, please visit www.christmasboatparade.com.
