Christmas Winterfest Parade Along the Waterways of Ft.Lauderdale, Florida

When you think of South Florida you don't really think of the "Traditional winter holiday season", sure, we do not get frigid cold temperatures, snow or ice and many of us do not have chimneys in our homes for Santa to come down on Christmas Eve, but we are festive and have some very unique ways of celebrating this most popular of all holidays with this one event that is pretty exclusive to our local community and a treasured experience for all those to attend..

Winterfest Boat Parade, a parade held each year on the Intercoastal waterway of Ft. Lauderdale, is a sight for one and all to see as more than one hundred boats, decked out in the most spectacular holiday fashions, festooned with elaborate lights, Christmas themes, and even Santa's helpers, for we all know the big guy is still in the North Pole, make their way through the glistening waters to show off their Christmas spirit in their very own special way....These boats are of every size and delight each and every person who is lucky enough to attend the festivities.

Each boat vies for a prize so you just know they will be all decked out to the hilt. This year the theme is "Magical Movie Moments" so I imagine there will be some very interesting and familiar sights for any movie fan.

It's really best to get to the parade route early to stake out your seats, if you are not one of those lucky ones who have been invited or have purchased seats for the grandstand bleachers. This year those special ticketed grandstand seats are located at Birch State Park near Sunrise blvd. But, not to worry, there really are quite a lot of free good viewing spots along the route...The parade will begin in Downtown Ft. Lauderdale, right on the New River, near the Broward Center of Performing Arts....The boats will sail the waters starting at 6:30 P.M. all the way up to Pompano Beach, just north of Ft. Lauderdale.

Hint: some of the best vantage points are, of course, from other boats but if you aren't on a floating vessel, other great views are from one of the many waterfront restaurants along the parade route, so make your reservations early.

Hosted by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel they have assured all those who want to attend that there will be more public viewing areas than ever before and it is estimated that a quarter of a million people will be on hand...but like I said, it's still good to get there early. Many people bring coolers and make quite a party out of this special night.

This year will have a few new twists, with an aerial announcement when the parade begins with a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter fly by, beginning the show, followed by a fireworks display from the top of the AutoNation Building in downtown Ft. Lauderdale, then a barge will be adding to the special aerial displays along the parade route as it passes the bridges and viewing stands.

Another new tradition starting this year will be the Grand Marshal Showboat, a five deck, 125 ft yacht, that will be hosting 400 passengers along with whoever is going to be the Grand Marshall, which is still a secret....other luxury boats have committed to be in the parade, many of the carrying celebrities, so you never know who you will be seeing as the boats float by ...good idea to bring binocular.

The Winterfest Boat Parade is truly a special South Florida event and one that shouldn't be missed if you are going to be in the area, no snow, but plenty of Ho Ho Ho with festive displays that demonstrate the spirit of the Christmas Holidays in a way that shows off what we South Floridians have to showcase, beautiful warm weather and lots of holiday regalia gracefully floating along our waterways.

The festivities take place on Dec 15th, in Ft Lauderdale, beginning at 6:30 P.M.
This is a free event except for the bleachers seats which have to be purchased in advance at varying prices...