Proudly holding its record-breaking status as the largest lighted boat parade in the State of Florida, The Palm Coast Holiday Boat Parade, sponsored by the Palm Coast Yacht Club, has announced important changes to the event which attracts viewers from all over the country. This year’s Parade route will be expanded by more than a mile and shuttle bus service will be provided. Last year the Parade featured a record ninety-one (91) decorated registered boats. Now in its 40th year, the Parade will be held. December 9, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. As always, the Parade is free to all.
The Parade will now begin at Cochise Waterway, the city’s northern-most cut to the Intracoastal Waterway, and head south. The parade will pass the Cimarron and Club House Waterways and sail under the Hammock Dunes Toll Bridge past St. Joe Walkway and Waterfront Park. Boats will turn at the Gazebo in Grand Haven and return to home port. To improve access to the Parade, parking now will be available at the Palm Coast Community Center on Palm Coast Parkway where Flagler County buses will shuttle viewers to and from European Village where parking continues to be available as well as at Waterfront Park.
The Parade will be held in honor of the late Al Krier, a long-time Parade champion and major community activist. His 18-foot Herreshoff Pilot will be at the head of the Parade; Krier’s family has generously donated the vessel to the Palm Coast Yacht Club. Carrying the Grand Marshalls will be “Sunshine,” a 55-foot Viking owned and piloted by Club members Donna Heiss and Ken Mazzie.
Grand Marshals will be Palm Coast Mayor The Honorable David Alfin and Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly. Parade escorts will include the Marine Unit of the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and TowBoatUS. The Florida Inland Navigation District is also endorsing the event. Once again, the Parade will be broadcast live by Flagler Broadcasting on KOOL-FM, 100.9. Streamlined boater registration is now open at the website www.palmcoastyachtclub.com.
Says Parade Chair Sarah Ulis, “We are thrilled that once again that so many boaters will decorate their boats as gifts to the Parade and that they and others will continue to be a part of this thrilling component of Florida history. We are all most grateful.”
