Beloved holiday celebration returns to San Diego

  • 2021-11-26
One of the most popular holiday festivals in San Diego has announced its schedule, as well as the 2021 theme.

The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights is presented annually by local boaters. They deck out their boats—everything from kayaks to yachts—with lights and then sail around San Diego Bay to the delight of those watching from the shore. This year marks the 50th Parade, which has the theme “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Larry Baumann, chairman of the Parade, said everyone was looking forward to getting back to the traditional celebration, and is anticipating seeing how people depict the theme. He believes children will enjoy the various interpretations. The number of boats allowed to participate is limited to a total of 100 vessels.

The Parade of Lights is one of the biggest draws in the region, bringing over 100,000 spectators to the waterfront every year. Organizers of events like this can turn to poster printing to create signage to help visitors locate parking.

The route begins at Shelter Island, goes west past Harbor Island, then goes south along the Embarcadero, Cesar Chavez Park, and Seaport Village, after which it runs west, parallel to the Coronado Bridge to the Coronado Ferry Landing and the finish line. Prizes go to the boats with the best decorations and those that best represent the theme.

The Parade will be held on two Sundays, December 12 and December 19. The route is identical both evenings, and the Parade starts at 5:30 pm.