Huntington Harbour Boat Parade this weekend; Cruise of Lights is on deck

The 53rd annual Huntington Harbour Boat Parade sets sail at 5:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with a theme of “Songs from the Silver Screen.”

Trophies will be awarded for decorations in 16 categories, including Most Beautiful, Most Religious, Best Animation and Best First Time Entry.

The approximately three-hour parade will travel throughout Huntington Harbour, beginning and ending between Trinidad and Humboldt islands, north of Gilbert Island.

On Friday, trophies will be presented to winners of a Huntington Harbour holiday home decorating contest. Those homes and others, as well as dressed-up boats and docks, can be seen during the Cruise of Lights, a series of narrated boat tours Dec. 17 to 23.

The Cruise of Lights will depart at 5:30, 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. daily. Shuttles to the boats will leave from the Huntington Harbour Mall parking lot, at 16889 Algonquin St. Tickets are $19 for adults ($17 on opening night), $12 for children ages 2 to 12 and free for kids younger than 2.

Proceeds from the cruise will go to the Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee to help fund Philharmonic Society of Orange County music education programs for children.

Donations are accepted to help with parade expenses.

For more information about the parade, visit hhboatparade.org. For Cruise of Lights information and tickets, visit cruiseoflights.org, or call (714) 840-7542.