115th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade lights up the harbor

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Thursday, December 14, 2023
115th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade lights up the harbor
ABC7 presents live coverage of the 115th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, hosted by David Ono and Coleen Sullivan.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is dazzling the harbor this week as the 115th annual event kicks off Wednesday night.

One-hundred over-the-top yachts and boats of all sizes are lighting up the peninsula as they cruise around Lido Isle starting Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and continuing each night through Dec. 17.

Hundreds of people gathered for opening night Wednesday to be awed by fireworks and the creative, glowing displays on all of the boats.

Diane Kwasman has been attending the parade for decades.

"It's grown so much over the years," Kwasman said. "In the last several years I've been fortunate to go on my friend's yacht and watch the parade from the yacht, rain or shine."

The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade dazzles the harbor this week as 100 over-the-top yachts and boats light up the peninsula starting Wednesday night.

This year's route will be the same as last year, starting and ending at the tip of Lido Isle. Here's a map of the parade route and an approximate timeline of when the parade will pass by local landmarks.

The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade route starts and ends at the tip of Lido Isle.

You can rent a boat, watch from a waterfront restaurant or head to Marina Park.

The largest public viewing spot will feature fireworks, food vendors, live music and more.

ABC7 streamed Wednesday's parade live on our 24/7 streaming channel. Our very own Coleen Sullivan and David Ono hosted as we brought you the sights and sounds of this tradition that has lit up Orange County for more than a century.

For those who missed it, see full parade coverage in the video player above.

If you need to download our app, search ABC7 Los Angeles to find the app and download it to your device. Once you download the app, there's no login required. Simply open the app to begin watching our 24/7 live stream.