Who’s ready for Christmas?
Hey everyone. Jennifer and I want to start by offering all of you our warmest holiday wishes. Now, who’s ready for the 2019 Christmas boat parades? We are !
Just had our first real temperature drop here in central Florida, and we’re finally seeing highs down in the 80’s. Lol
Halloween is over and with the DST clock reversal, now it’s cooler AND dark earlier. “It’s beginning to look alot like Christmas . . .”
Now all we need are lights. Lots of lights. And not just on the house and in the yard, but all over the boat!!
So . . . get your batteries charged up, dig out the invertors, generators, or whatever you use to run your decorations and rig up your vessel. Let’s get out there and do as many boat parades as possible this year.
Jennifer and I like to participate in 2-3 parades each Christmas season. This year again we’ll be doing the Merritt Island Christmas boat parade in Brevard county and the Lake Conway boat parades in Orlando, FL.
2019 Merritt Island Christmas Boat Parade:
This will be our 3rd year navigating the canals and neighborhoods of Sykes Creek in Merritt Island by boat. Hopefully, you’ve checked out or post on the Four Crazy Christmas Nights from last year.
There will be hundreds of boats all decked out in fantastic light displays making their way around the canals of Sykes Creek.
The coolest part is passing by all of the homes that are having parties just for the parade. Not just a few people, tons of people.
The “House Party” is it’s own competition and really feels like part of the parade. As you pass through the canals and by the docks, partygoers can literally reach out and high-five you! It’s the best.
This is one that we look forward to all year and find ourselves talking about with other boaters throughout the summer.
The 2019 Merritt Island Christmas boat parade is on Saturday, December 7, 2019. The parade is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. and could go until 11:00-11:30.
A dedicated “Captains party” will be held on Thursday, December 5, 2019 at a local waterfront restaurant. Boat and house party registration will happen there as well as special instructions for boater safety.
More information including parade map, starting points, onshore viewing locations and more can be found here: 2019 Merritt Island Christmas Boat Parade.
Lake Conway Christmas Boat Parades:
If Jennifer and I had to pick a favorite . . .
Let’s just say that we’ve been on Lake Conway for the Christmas boat parades for 17 years now.
We actually lived right on Lake Conway for many years and spent pretty much every weekend at the local sandbar. Our son Robert grew up on the water there for goodness sake.
While we’ve been winding down our trips into Orlando from Brevard county, we still regularly go boating in what was our “backyard” and we’ll ALWAYS have a little Conway in us!
Maybe you noticed that the title says parades with an “s”. That’s because the Conway chain has (3) different parades that run on Fri, Sat, and Sunday. The different lakes are broken into different evenings so that everyone can participate.
This body of water is also surrounded by great people that put on giant house parties. Huge gatherings of families and friends all wanting a view of the sparkling boats as they pass by.
This year’s 2019 Lake Conway Christmas Boat Parades are on the weekend of Friday December 13 – Sunday December 15, 2019. Start times vary and any onshore public viewing will be primarily from the parks and boat ramps.
For more information about each parade, maps of the event, and viewing spots, check out this link: 2019 Lake Conway Christmas Boat Parade
Keep It Fun and Safe:
The expectation this Christmas is for another tremendous turnout of boats at every parade and more fun than ever before.
Be sure to bring blankets, extra cushions, maybe some warm soup or whatever “antifreeze” you choose.
Jennifer and I hope that you and your family and friends can get out there and experience whatever Christmas boat parade that is closest to you. Whether on a boat or from the shore (or house party), take the kids and have fun.
And remember Captains, not only are you on the hook for the actions of your vessel, you are responsible for everyone on the boat. Please stay safe.
Not Yet:
Okay, that’s what’s coming in December and it’s not here yet. There’s still a whole month. That’s (4) weekends or so.
Jennifer and I are excited about getting in some spoil island camping before the boat parades. We’ll keep you posted on where we go and what happens.
Thanks again for checking out our blog and we hope we’ll see some of you during the Christmas boat parades.
If you’ve got a boat parade story to tell, leave us a comment and please don’t forget to subscribe below so we can keep you up to date with our posts.
“See You on the Water”