North Palm Beach Sits Where December's Two Boat Parades Meet

For three decades, North County's holiday calendar on the water came down to one Saturday night. This December, that night is the first of three weekends. The Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade leaves North Palm Beach on December 5 and heads north to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. A week later, a newer parade sails from Singer Island toward North Palm Beach. On the two weekends after the first parade's finale, the lighthouse lights up its own grounds.

Both parades run through the same reach of the Intracoastal off North Palm Beach, and the lighthouse is the end point of the first parade and the setting for the season's newest event. Planning a December evening here means knowing how these three events fit together.

Two Weeks, One Waterway

1. Saturday, December 5: The 32nd Annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade runs from North Palm Beach to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, 6 p.m. to about 8 p.m.
2. Friday, December 11: Luminary Nights opens at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, 6 to 9 p.m.
3. Saturday, December 12: The 2nd Annual Boat Parade of the Greater Palm Beaches leaves from Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores. Luminary Nights runs the same evening.
4. Friday and Saturday, December 18 and 19: The last two Luminary Nights.

The first parade and the last lighthouse evening are exactly two weeks apart. Boaters who want to be in the first parade have a deadline before any of it begins. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County says boats registered by November 19 have the refundable $50 deposit waived and are entered to win $500 and PBIBS Winward VIP passes.

December 5 Starts in North Palm Beach and Moves North

The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County puts on the parade, Safe Harbor presents it, and a Zambelli traveling fireworks display leads it up the Intracoastal from North Palm Beach to the lighthouse. It runs rain or shine. Boats leave at 6 p.m. and should reach Jupiter around 8 p.m., where the grand finale happens at the lighthouse. The parade's 2025 performance report says that year's event drew dozens of boats and collected 16,000 toys for Little Smiles and Toys for Tots.

On land, the parade shows up as bridge openings. The association publishes estimates based on past parades and notes that its permits allow each bridge a one-hour opening. Weather, wind, tides and currents can shift the exact times.

The schedule doubles as a clock for the whole procession. The parade passes Parker and PGA in its first quarter hour, so anyone watching at the south end sees the boats while people in Jupiter are still waiting. The boats near the Jupiter end around 7:30. For anyone driving that night, the same table shows which crossings to avoid and when. A dinner reservation on the other side of Donald Ross or Indiantown should account for a bridge that could be up for an hour sometime after 7.

The roads at the start already have their own disruption. On U.S. 1 in North Palm Beach, FDOT's $13.7 million Earman River bridge replacement has southbound traffic on the new northbound bridge, with two lanes each way. FDOT expects the shift to last through spring 2027 and the project to finish in summer 2027.

Where the Shore Gets a Front Row

Along with private parties at waterfront homes, the association lists public viewing sites from North Palm Beach to Jupiter:

• North Palm Beach: North Palm Beach Country Club
• PGA: Waterway Cafe
• Juno: Bert Winters Park, Juno Park
• Jupiter: Sawfish Bay Park, Lighthouse Park, Waterway Park, the Riverwalk, Harbourside Place, Charlie and Joe's at Love Street, Square Grouper Tiki Bar, Utiki and Jetty's

The parks and the Riverwalk are free. The restaurants work for anyone who wants dinner with a view of the water. Since the finale is at the lighthouse, the Jupiter sites close to the inlet are where the night ends.

Residents with a dock can take part without decorating a boat. A "toy fleet" from Tow Boat, Sea Tow and volunteer boats travels the route and stops at private docks to pick up new, unwrapped gifts. The association's instructions are to wave a flashlight at any boat showing a flashing amber beacon or Toys for Tots signage, and uniformed Marines and volunteers will come to the dock.

Boaters who are out on the water but not in the parade get specific directions. The association suggests watching from Ski Beach or anywhere between Donald Ross Road and Indiantown Road out of the parade's way. Its page also says:

"If you choose to anchor in front of North Palm Beach Marina or North Palm Beach Country Club, law enforcement officers will ask you to move."

The parade begins off North Palm Beach, and the association keeps that water clear.

December 12 Comes Up From the South

A week later, a parade comes back to the same water from the south. Sailfish Marina presents the 2nd Annual Boat Parade of the Greater Palm Beaches on Saturday, December 12, along the Intracoastal "from Singer Island to North Palm Beach." The evening includes fireworks and Santa Claus aboard the Grand Marshal boat, and it benefits the Little Smiles Annual Holiday Toy Drive.

The first year shows how the parade is meant to work. WPBF reported that the inaugural 2025 boats left at 6 p.m. after a fireworks send-off. They went south toward Palm Beach Island, turned around near Safe Harbor Rybovich and then headed north to the North Palm Beach waterway. The station said the VIP party sold out, and that free viewing stretched from the Northwoods neighborhood up to North Palm Beach. Jamie Booth, Sailfish Marina's manager, told WPBF the aim was a parade that "the residents and the businesses and the Lake Worth Lagoon area can enjoy" every year. That was the 2025 route. The marina describes this year's parade as running from Singer Island to North Palm Beach.

The Sailfish event has a ticketed side that the December 5 parade does not. The marina's VIP viewing party runs 4 to 8 p.m. and includes a buffet dinner, a cash bar with holiday drinks, a DJ, a photobooth and fireworks. The Palm Beach Post lists tickets at $100 for adults and $50 for children, and guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy and wear something festive. The marina's ticket page says parking is not included.

The two parades make North Palm Beach the meeting point. On December 5 the boats start there and head north. On December 12 they arrive there from the south. For residents along that stretch, the same water hosts two different parades on back-to-back Saturdays.

The Lighthouse Hosts the Finale, Then Its Own Event

Six days after the December 5 finale, the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum opens its grounds for Luminary Nights. This is a new event, and The Palm Beach Post covered its debut on October 8 as a family waterfront celebration for the northern Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast.

It runs 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 11; Saturday, December 12; Friday, December 18; and Saturday, December 19. The museum describes local artisans, live entertainment, family activities, a lit Banyan tree and a tunnel of lights leading to the lighthouse. The Post's season guide adds holiday crafts, a letter-to-Santa station, seasonal food and a hot chocolate station. It also mentions timed evening climbs with a lantern-light theme.

Tickets:

For a family of four, the bundle costs $25 less than buying four separate tickets. The museum says climbs are limited and first come, first served, and children must be 48 inches tall to climb. Families hoping to get to the top should plan to arrive early. According to the museum's directions page, parking on site is free.

December 12 is the one date when the two events overlap. The Sailfish VIP party runs from 4 to 8 p.m. in Palm Beach Shores, and Luminary Nights runs from 6 to 9 p.m. in Jupiter. Households that want both have the other three lighthouse nights to choose from, and December 18 and 19 have no competing event.

If December plans include hosting a party on your own dock or showing out-of-town guests the parade from the water, Tanya Ajay knows these North County waterfronts well and would be glad to talk about the homes along this stretch of the Intracoastal. Schedule a Private Consultation.