NEWPORT BEACH : 150 Boats Expected in Christmas Parade

The 84th annual Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade, a multimillion-dollar aquatic fantasy, gets under way Thursday with more than 150 boats expected to enter.

The elaborately decorated boats will include last year’s sweepstakes winner, Unpretentious Too, a 50-foot yacht that this year will depict a Dr. Suess storybook scene complete with inflatable Grinch, Max the dog and a 45-foot friend called Bumble.

The weeklong boat parade, an extravagant tournament of cruising lights, may be viewed from Lido, Bay, Collins, Balboa, Harbor, Linda and Little islands as well as the south side of Bay Shores and Bayside Drive in Corona del Mar and the north side of Balboa Boulevard.

More than 100,000 spectators are expected to watch the boats decked in hundreds of Christmas lights parade by similarly decorated restaurants and homes along the route.

Grandstand seating will be offered at the Boy Scouts of America sea base at 1931 W. Coast Highway, and parking will be available at the Newport Dunes Resort, 1131 Back Bay Drive. Shuttle buses will transport viewers to the grandstands every 15 minutes, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., from Thursday until the last day of the parade, Dec. 23. Judging of boats will take place Tuesday night.

Tickets for the grandstand seating are $6 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $4 for children under 12, and may be purchased through Ticketmaster.

Today is the last day to sign up to compete in the parade. Applications are available at the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce, the parade’s sponsor.

Winning boats will bear ribbons announcing their respective prizes, and trophies will be handed out at an awards ceremony in January. For more information, call the parade hot line, (714) 721-0637, or the chamber at (714) 262-1516.

Boats on Parade The 84th annual Newport Harbor boat parade begins Thursday. More than 150 entries are expected.