A holiday tradition since the 1950s, the annual Christmas Ships Parade always delights residents of Portland and Vancouver, and residents will soon get to see dozens of brightly light and festively-decorate boats parade along area waterways.
On various days, at various times, anywhere between 55 and 60 sailboats and yachts, each of which are between 14 and 65 feet in length, will be traveling down the Columbia and Willametta rivers to the delight of onlookers. The boats in the fleet come from all around the Portland, Vancouver, Salem, Hood River, and McMinnville area. They are privately owned and decorated with inflatable décor and light displays, funded by the boat owners themselves.
Poster printing services are useful in informing the public of upcoming holiday events like this.
Some of the boats and their owners have been participating in the parade, which grew out of a single ribbon decorated sailboat, for some 30 years. As boat owners retire from the Christmas Ships Parade, they pass their decoration on to other up-and-coming seafarers interested in carrying on the tradition.
On any night from December 1 to 17, the flotilla will gather and form a waterway parade along a predetermined route. On December 16 and 17, the entire fleet of decorated boats and the boats’ skippers will be available for a meet-and-greet at the public dock close to the Riverplace Marina. A schedule of where to view the Christmas Ships Parade on any given evening is available on the event website.
Location
1308 SW 2nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97201
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Phone
Hours
Mon: 8:00 - 5:00
Tue: 8:00 - 5:00
Wed: 8:00 - 5:00
Thu: 8:00 - 5:00
Fri: 8:00 - 5:00
Sat: Closed
Sun: Closed