by Mailani McKelvy
The Lighted Boat Parade, taking place on the Embarcadero on December 8th, featured a procession of local boats decorated with holiday lights. The boats were of varying sizes- from larger fishing boats to small kayaks. Some represented local businesses, while others were local community members with their boats. The parade started at 6 p.m. and lasted about an hour.
The parade itself drew in a large crowd of people young and old; many families came to enjoy the parade as well as the many shops on the Embarcadero. Anywhere near the docks were packed with people trying to get pictures. Businesses on the Embarcadero were taking advantage of these crowds, and had several tents selling foods like hot dogs, hot chocolate, and hot cider. Near the end of the night after most of the crowd had left, fireworks were released from one of the boats.
Memorable decorations included The Dockside’s fishing boat which was covered in elaborate strings of holiday lights. A green dragon also floated down the bay, not to be confused with the actual dragon boat. In addition, there was were decorated boats using the strings of lights to create a shape- most notably, a whale shape created with blue strings of light.
Overall, the performances by the community contributed to a festive visual of holiday lights glittering over the bay. The crowd was evidently impressed by the parade, with many viewers in loud applause. The parade was also well attended by Morro Bay High School students. Zachary Moore, a Morro Bay High School junior who attended the boat parade, stated that it was definitely a fun event.
If you missed the boat parade this year, don’t fret. According to several sources the Morro Bay Boat Parade gets better each year. Next year, it is likely there will be even more participants and an even brighter night.
Boat decorated in to replicate the shape of a whale (above), and the dragon boat, featuring both bright holiday lights and enthusiastic rowers (below).
