If you would like to enjoy a festive atmosphere filled with seasonal fun, you can certainly find plenty to do in San Diego. San Diego hosts numerous exciting events during the holidays, but none may provide the incredible spectacle that the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights offers. This annual event is set to return next month for its 52nd year, offering a gorgeous and lively celebration.
The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is a boat parade on San Diego Bay, where dozens of boats covered in lights, colors, and decorations take off across the water along a designated parade route. The bright colors combined with the seasonal costumes and Christmas sweaters many participants and spectators wear make it a holiday extravaganza that is not to be missed.
More than 100,000 spectators come to enjoy this event every year, and it is one of the defining parts of the holiday season in San Diego. This year, the theme is FantaSEA on the Bay, so spectators will witness some spectacular and inventive fantasy-inspired designs on the boats that pass by. If you have a boat, you can enter the parade and join in on the action. The designs are judged, and the best-decorated boats will find their way onto the list of award-winners.
This year, the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights will occur on two Sunday nights leading up to Christmas: December 11th and 18th. The parade will follow the same route each time, leaving Shelter Island, winding in front of the downtown, and ending at the Coronado Ferry Landing. Announcers will be elaborating on participating boats and their designs at Coronado Ferry Landing and the Maritime Museum of San Diego on the Embarcadero.
Getting together with family or friends and enjoying an outdoor picnic as you watch the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is an ideal way to celebrate the holiday season. The line of boats takes roughly a hour and a half to pass by each of the spectating areas, and viewing the show is free of charge. It is one of the most exciting and long-standing San Diego holiday traditions and the ideal way to enjoy a winter night on the coast.
