The St. Pete lighted boat parade leaves the St. Pete Municipal Marina at 6:30 PM on Saturday, December 12, 2026. It isn't the only one that night. Clearwater, Gulfport and Madeira Beach all run their parades on the same Saturday, South Pasadena goes the night before, and Treasure Island and the Tampa Riverwalk follow a week later.
These are the 2026 dates for every lighted boat parade we could confirm around Pinellas and the bay, each checked on October 24 against the organizer's own page or the county's official event listing. Then comes the boat side: entering, lighting your boat legally under Florida law, and the fuel and wash to sort out the week before.
2026 Lighted Boat Parade Dates at a Glance
| Parade | 2026 date | Start time | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Pasadena | Fri, Dec 11 | Boats line up around 6:00 PM | MarineMax St. Petersburg | See MarineMax's route map |
| Downtown St. Pete | Sat, Dec 12 | 6:30 PM | St. Pete Municipal Marina | Downtown waterfront |
| Clearwater | Sat, Dec 12 | 6:00 PM | Just north of the Mandalay Channel Bridge | Clearwater Beach Marina |
| Gulfport | Sat, Dec 12 | 6:00 PM | Gulfport Municipal Marina | Isla del Sol, then back to the slips |
| Madeira Beach | Sat, Dec 12 | 6:15 PM | ROC Park | John's Pass |
| Treasure Island | Sat, Dec 19 | 6:00 PM | Boca Ciega Bay | John's Pass |
| Tampa Riverwalk | Sat, Dec 19 | 6:15 PM | Near Sparkman Wharf | Armature Works |
December 12 is the brightest night of the year on Pinellas water, with four parades running at once, and you can only be in one of them. To enter two, pair South Pasadena on Friday with St. Pete, Clearwater or Madeira Beach on Saturday. Gulfport doesn't pair with it, because its mandatory captain's meeting is that same Friday at 6:00 PM. The other option is any December 12 parade followed by Treasure Island or the Riverwalk on December 19.
Dates can move. Organizers postpone for wind and rain, and several registration pages hadn't opened yet in late October. Check the organizer's page the week of the parade before you load the boat.
St. Pete Lighted Boat Parade: Start Time and Where to Watch
The Downtown St. Pete Lighted Boat Parade starts at 6:30 PM on Saturday, December 12, from the St. Pete Municipal Marina. The 2026 date comes from the Visit St. Pete/Clearwater event listing, and Pier Dolphin Cruises, Nautical Sounds and several local businesses sponsor it. The listing doesn't publish a full route, so plan around the three viewing spots it names:
- The St. Pete Pier, on the Vinoy yacht basin side
- North Shore Park
- Flora Wylie Park
Parking is the hard part. There's free street parking and some lot parking near North Shore Park and Vinoy Park, plus metered lots at the Pier and the downtown garages. The free Downtown Looper trolley runs between them, and rideshare saves you circling the blocks.
The listing also notes that the 2025 holiday parade cruises run by Tampa Bay Watch and St. Pete Coastal Cruises weren't confirmed for 2026. Call before you count on watching from a tour boat.
Clearwater Holiday Lighted Boat Parade
Clearwater Yacht Club runs the 52nd annual Holiday Lighted Boat Parade on Saturday, December 12, at 6:00 PM. Boats launch just north of the Mandalay Channel Bridge and loop around Island Estates past Coachman Park. From there the parade heads toward the Sand Key Bridge, passes the yacht club and finishes at Clearwater Beach Marina, where the judging happens.
Entry is free and open to private and commercial boats, but you have to register to get an official parade number, and only numbered boats are judged. The registration form asks for your length, draft and whether you carry a VHF radio. The mandatory captain's meeting is Thursday, December 10, at 6:00 PM in the Dry Dock area of the yacht club. The captain and first mate attend, or a crew member if the captain can't make it.
Prizes go to Overall Best in Parade and to three classes: powerboats 30 feet and over, powerboats 29 feet and under, and sailboats. Judges score theme, color, lighting, creativity and special effects. Entrants can request an overnight slip at Clearwater Beach Marina, first come, first served. The parade raises money for youth sailing scholarships at the Clearwater Community Sailing Center.
Boca Ciega Bay Parades: South Pasadena, Gulfport, Madeira Beach and Treasure Island
Boca Ciega Bay gets four parades between December 11 and 19, and two of them, Gulfport and Madeira Beach, wind through residential canals.
South Pasadena (Friday, December 11)
MarineMax St. Petersburg and the City of South Pasadena run this one. Boats start lining up around 6:00 PM, led out by MarineMax staff and local police, and the city hosts a viewing party at Barbara Gilberg Park, 1600 Pasadena Ave S. Entry requires a donation to the toy drive, and registration stays open until the day of the parade if you call ahead. Entrants pick up a $100 gas card at the awards ceremony at MarineMax the next day, Saturday, December 12, from noon to 1:00 PM.
Gulfport (Saturday, December 12)
Boca Ciega Yacht Club's 40th annual Lighted Christmas Boat Parade starts at the Gulfport Municipal Marina. Boats gather in the bay around 5:30 PM, and at 6:00 PM the Gulfport Police boat lines everyone up and leads the way. The route passes Clam Bayou Nature Park, Osgood Point, Williams Pier, the Gulfport Casino and the beach, then winds through Town Shores, Pelican Bay, Skimmers Point, Pasadena and Isla del Sol.
There's no entry fee. Instead, each skipper is asked to donate two new, unwrapped toys to the Gulfport Police Department's Operation Santa.
The mandatory captain's meeting is Friday, December 11, at 6:00 PM at the club, where you pick up your numbered sign, zip ties and a light for your starboard side. The club also warns that nobody should be charging to enter or to watch, and it asks you to report anyone who does.
Madeira Beach (Saturday, December 12)
The 60th annual Festival of Lights Holiday Boat Parade leaves ROC Park at 6:15 PM, works through the city's finger canals and finishes at John's Pass around 8:30 or 9:00 PM. ROC Park hosts the kickoff with a holiday market and live music on the seawall, while John's Pass gets the late view. Sign up in person at the Madeira Beach Municipal Marina, 503 150th Ave, or online once registration opens in November. The city lists more than $5,000 in cash prizes.
Treasure Island (Saturday, December 19)
The Treasure Island Holiday Lighted Boat Parade starts at 6:00 PM, crosses Boca Ciega Bay and finishes at John's Pass. Vessel registration opens in November through the city's Parks and Recreation Department.
Tampa and the Rest of the Bay
The Tampa Riverwalk's Holiday Lighted Boat Parade runs Saturday, December 19, starting around 6:15 PM near Sparkman Wharf. It goes through the Convention Center Basin and finishes at Armature Works. Boat registration wasn't open as of October 24; Friends of the Riverwalk takes questions at info@thetampariverwalk.com.
As of October 24 we couldn't find a 2026 date for Tarpon Springs, Dunedin or Apollo Beach. Tarpon Springs held its 2024 parade on Friday, December 6, so keep an eye on exploretarponsprings.com for this year's date.
How to Enter Your Boat
Clearwater and Gulfport are free to enter, Madeira Beach doesn't list a fee, and South Pasadena asks for a toy drive donation. The steps are much the same everywhere.
- Register early. Clearwater and Gulfport want registrations before their captain's meetings. Madeira Beach and Treasure Island open theirs in November.
- Go to the captain's meeting. Clearwater and Gulfport both make it mandatory, and it's where you get the night's instructions.
- Mount your number. Gulfport hands out a numbered sign, zip ties and a light for your starboard side. Clearwater only judges boats carrying an official parade number.
- Plan the run to the start. If you keep your boat in another town, a 6:00 PM lineup means leaving your slip in daylight and running home after dark.
- Bring the donation. Gulfport asks for two toys, and South Pasadena requires a toy drive donation.
Once the decorations go up, measure your new air draft. A lit tree on the tower can add several feet, so ask the organizer about overhead clearances on the route when you register.
Get Fuel Delivered to Your Slip
Download the Mobile Marina app to schedule dockside fuel delivery, manage your vessel, and access all our services from your phone.
Lighting Your Boat Without Breaking the Rules
Two rules apply to every boat in these parades, and organizers can't waive either one.
The first is that your navigation lights still have to work and be seen. Navigation Rule 20 (33 CFR 83.20 for inland waters) applies from sunset to sunrise. It bars any other light that could be mistaken for a navigation light, that hides one, or that gets in the way of keeping a proper lookout.
That has three practical results. Red strings on the port rail and green on the starboard rail can read as sidelights from a distance, so keep those colors away from the bow. Don't wrap or crowd your masthead and stern lights. And keep glare off the helm, because the operator still has to see past the display.
The second is that Florida bans flashing lights. Statute 327.50(3) prohibits flashing, occulting or revolving lights on any vessel, except where the navigation rules allow them. That rules out chase strings, twinkle modes and strobe effects. Set every string to steady-on before you leave the dock.
Power is the other decision. A small boat with a few LED strands can run on a battery and an inverter, as long as the battery keeps enough charge to start the engine afterward. Bigger displays usually need a portable generator.
Run a generator in open air where exhaust can't drift into the cabin or across the cockpit, and keep a working carbon monoxide alarm aboard. Secure everything for wind, especially anything mounted up high, since it catches more air underway than it does at the dock.
Pre-Parade Checklist: Fuel, Wash and Night Gear
The week before the parade, work through this list:
- Fill the tank. You'll idle for hours, run to the start and run home after dark, and fuel docks may close before the parades end. Our guide to boat fuel in Tampa Bay lists the docks, or schedule a dockside fuel delivery at your slip through the Mobile Marina app.
- Fill the generator too. If you're running a portable generator, fill it and carry what you'll need in an approved container.
- Wash the boat before stringing lights. Salt film and a dull hull show under bright LEDs, and adhesive clips grip a clean hull better than a dirty one. A one-off boat wash or detail the week before helps on both counts. Our basic washes run $10 to $15 per foot as a one-off, and a full detail is $46 per foot for boats up to 30 feet.
- Test every navigation light. Do it at dusk with the decorations on, and look from another boat or the dock.
- Check the night gear. Bring a wearable life jacket for everyone aboard, a VHF radio, a spotlight and a charged phone. On boats under 26 feet, Florida law requires children under 6 to wear their life jackets whenever the boat is underway.
- Know the route and the depths. Canal routes like Madeira Beach and Gulfport are shallow and tight in places, so read the chart and the tide table for that evening.
Our dockside fuel delivery runs on scheduled routes in St. Pete, Clearwater, Gulfport, Madeira Beach and Treasure Island. If your regular stop doesn't land before parade weekend, book a fueling on request in the app well ahead of time, not on parade day. REC 90 has no minimum order, and diesel deliveries have a 50-gallon minimum.
Current Fuel Prices
REC 90
Ethanol-free
$6.40
/gallon
Diesel
Marine diesel
$6.63
/gallon
Price Match Guarantee — we'll match any marina or truck.
REC 90 has no minimum. Diesel deliveries have a 50-gallon minimum.
*Subject to change.
Watching From the Water
You don't have to enter to watch from your own boat. Anchoring or idling off the route works well, as long as you stay out of the way.
Pick open water over the canals. The Madeira Beach and Gulfport routes run through narrow residential canals where anchoring isn't practical, so watch those from John's Pass or from the bay where the Gulfport parade passes Williams Pier and the Gulfport Casino. Keep well back from the route, since law enforcement and marshal boats run with each parade, and follow their directions.
Expect no-wake zones, especially in the canals, and spectator boats packed close together. At anchor after sunset you need an all-round white anchor light, because a dark boat drifting beside a parade is hard to see. When it ends, every spectator boat heads home at once, and waiting a while is often safer than joining the rush. For holding ground and tides around St. Pete and Clearwater, see our Tampa Bay sandbar guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Bottom Line
Pick your parade, register before the captain's meeting, set every string to steady-on, and keep your navigation lights clear. Get the boat washed and the tank full the week before, and we'll keep you on the water through parade night. To get fuel delivered to your slip on a scheduled route, download the free Mobile Marina app for iOS or Android, call us at (727) 761-1173, or contact our team.
Related: Boat Detailing | Marine Fueling in St. Petersburg | Marine Fueling in Clearwater | Service Areas
Photo credits: Header photo by Richard Mc Neil, CC BY 3.0. Other photos by Gregory Urbano (CC BY 2.0), Marie Floyd, U.S. Air Force (public domain) and Don Ramey Logan (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons. All resized for the web.