Thousands are expected to flock to the Town Center Promenade in Wellington starting at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 in anticipation of the eighth annual Holiday Boat Parade on Lake Wellington.
“We’ll start staging at the north end of the lake, and then we head out at 6:15 p.m. to start the parade, and we come by the Wellington Community Center by 6:30 p.m.,” Parade Organizer Jack Brownson said. “We had 49 boats last year.”
This year, they’re hoping for more than 50 participating boats, which would more than double the number of participants the event originally began with. It has grown over the years, bringing joy and delight with thousands of floating Christmas lights.
“We’re very excited about the growth of the parade,” Brownson said. “It’s a very big event on our lake, and it’s becoming a pretty big event for the community.”
Last year, it was estimated that more than 2,000 people came out to watch the boat parade.
“The best part about it is really the camaraderie of the boaters and the competition,” Brownson said. “People love to decorate their boats, so there’s a lot of competition in the decorating. Everybody really enjoys seeing each other’s boats and what they’re doing.”
Sometimes the decorations change, while other years, they stay the same. Brownson puts more than 200 feet of lights on his boat.
South Florida Marine continues its support of the event, sponsoring the parade and providing plaques for the winners of the top three best decorated boats. They’ll also have a pontoon out for demonstrations.
“It’s a slate plaque with their picture on it and what position they came in,” Brownson said. “It’s a really nice-looking plaque that’s better than a trophy because you can put it on a shelf, and it’s like a picture.”
Judging the boats will be local TV celebrities Jim Sackett and Roxanne Stein, members of the Wellington Village Council and Assistant Community Events Director Michelle Garvey.
Gary Swedenborg and Jeff Master are also parade organizers and are looking forward to lighting up the lake.
“We enjoy doing this for the residents on the lake,” Swedenborg said. “Many people have parties the night of the parade. It has turned into a community event since the word has spread.”
Attendees on shore can also visit with a variety of vendors from Wellington’s weekly Lakeside Market in the green space adjacent to the promenade. There will be free parking, food trucks, vendors and more.
For more information, or to participate, contact Brownson at jbrownson@comcast.net. To learn more about the Lake Wellington Boat Club, visit www.lakewellingtonboatclub.com.
