www.facebook.com/EastportYachtClubLightsParade
Annapolis, MD - The Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade, one of Annapolis’s signature events for nearly 40 years, is back again this holiday season!
The parade bursts upon the Annapolis waterfront with up to forty boats of all shapes and sizes—both power and sail—brightly decorated with thousands of lights and crewed by jolly revelers. This festive maritime event is great fun for the entire family. Skippers participate for the fun of it and circle the waterfront in two fleets: one circling in front of Eastport, the City Dock and the Naval Academy seawall, the other circling the length of Spa Creek, inside the bridge.
This year, the Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade will be held on Saturday, December 11th, from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Only high winds will result in cancellation. Updates will be posted on the website.
The parade is an excellent opportunity to show off a boat or to showcase a club. There will once again be a "People’s Choice Award" selected on the Lights Parade Facebook. Anyone may participate (EYC members and non-members alike) and Eastport Yacht Club provides safety briefings prior to the parade. A decorating seminar for all interested in participating—this or future years—is being held on Friday, October 8th, 7 – 9 PM at Eastport Yacht Club.
More than 50 volunteers work all year long to produce this event, a gift to the city of Annapolis from the Eastport Yacht Club. Twenty to thirty thousand people line the waterfront each year to watch this glittering holiday parade. In years past, Annapolis and the EYC Lights Parade received national attention on the “CBS This Morning" Saturday show and nominations to compete in the USA Today poll of "10 Best Holiday Parades.” In 2016 the parade placed Number ONE!
People can take home memories of the Lights Parade by purchasing posters, and other commemorative items. These will be available through the Eastport Yacht Club.
Information on the Lights Parade is available online at www.eastportyc.org/lights-parade. This site also provides information about the Lights Parade including parade registrant information, parade maps, parking information, and viewing sites. Skippers may register their boats until 5 PM on Tuesday, December 7th.
