If you aren't already in the holiday spirit, this year's San Diego Bay Parade of Lights may be the perfect event for you.
On Sunday, Dec. 8, and Sunday, Dec. 15, the highly-anticipated annual event — filled with around 80 boats decked out in holiday decorations and spectacular lights — will return for its 54th year.
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The free spectacle draws in more than 100,000 San Diegans and visitors to the bay's waterfront each year, according to the parade's website.
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Every year has a new theme, which inspires the vessel decorations. This year's theme is "Christmas Traditions Around the World." Previous themes include "Christmas Traditions Around the World" and "FantaSEA on the Bay."
The Parade of Lights begins at 5:30 p.m. on both days at Shelter Island and embarks on a one-and-a-half to two-hour journey through Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, Cesar Chavez Park Pier and the Ferry Landing on Coronado.
Here are the holiday boat parade's estimate arrival times for these locations:
- Shelter Island: 5:30 p.m.
- Harbor Island: 6:15 p.m.
- The Embarcadero: 6:45 p.m.
- Seaport Village: 7:15 p.m.
- The Pier at Cesar Chavez Park: 7:30 p.m.
- Ferry Landing on Coronado: 7:45 p.m.
Two years ago, the procession was canceled for one weekend due to a wind advisory. The conditions made it dangerous for boaters, according to organizers.
"The parade would've gone on rain or shine, but the wind is what's dangerous when you get a lot of boaters out there in the dark," Larry Bauman, chairman of the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, told NBC 7 in 2022.
If you'd like to join the parade on your boat, click here.
