Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade
Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County (MIAPBC) hosted their 23rd annual holiday boat parade on Dec. 2 starting at 6 p.m. The parade began on the Intracostal Waterway of North Palm Beach (NPB) and arrived in Jupiter around 8 p.m., ending in front of the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.
To participate in the parade, at least one person from each boat had to attend a captain’s meeting to go over rules. The entry deadline was Nov. 30, but if a contestant entered by Nov. 29, they were eligible to win one of several fuel cards worth $100-$500, courtesy of PGA Marina Center, Loggerhead Marina, New Port Cove Marina Center, Old Port Cove Marina Center and NPB Marina. It was free to enter, but each boat had to pay a $20 deposit to receive their number boards for the judging. Once they returned their board, they would get their money back.
The judging was based on three main characteristics: lights, enthusiasm and themed decorations. The top three boats in each category were sent home with thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes. The best overall boat took home $500 cash.
Once again, MIAPBC and the U.S. Marine Reserves is teaming up with Toys for Tots and Little Smiles for the 18th annual Holiday Boat Parade Toy Drive. The United States Marine Corps Reserve runs toys for Tots; they distribute toys for children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. Little Smiles is an organization and provides gifts and fun activities to children impacted by serious illnesses. For those wanting to donate, a toy fleet of boats from Tow Boat, Sea Flow and other volunteers, made dockside pickups during the boat parade. Uniformed Marines also pulled up to the docks to collect if they waved a flashlight at a boat with a flashing amber beacon or a Toys for Tots sign.
Some locations for public viewing were Jupiter’s Riverwalk Events Plaza and Harbourside Place. Other spots were the, NPB Country Club, Juno Park, Bert Winters Park and Lighthouse Park. Popular dinner locations were, U-Tiki Beach, Jetty’s, Waterway Café, Seasons 52 and Square Grouper Tiki Bar.
