About 1,000 people watched last year's Palm Coast boat parade from Waterfront Park alone, but there were far fewer boats on the water than in past years. Getting more boats into the parade is where the City of Palm Coast is putting its effort before the 43rd Annual Holiday Boat Parade on Saturday, December 5, at 6 p.m. The route runs along the Intracoastal Waterway from the North Cut Canal south to the Grand Haven gazebo and back.
The crowd side of the event is in good shape. This year the city is mostly working on the water side, and that follows from how the parade changed hands two winters ago.
Who runs the parade now
The Palm Coast Yacht Club sponsored the Holiday Boat Parade for 41 years. FlaglerLive reported in January 2025 that the club's organizer for the previous nine years had built it into what the outlet called one of the largest holiday parades in Florida, if not the largest.
After the 2024 parade, the organizer resigned and the club stepped away. In the same FlaglerLive report, the organizer named rising fees, permit requirements she said changed from year to year, and a request to move the 2024 date so it would not overlap with the city's Starlight Parade, even though tides set the timing of a boat parade. Mayor Mike Norris put the club's yearly cost at $5,000 and said that amount was not enough to run the event. At a meeting that January, the club and city leaders agreed the city would organize the parade from then on.
| Year | Organizer | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Palm Coast Yacht Club | Record-setting boat turnout, per FlaglerLive |
| 2025 | City of Palm Coast | 46 boats registered, about half the 2023 total |
| 2026 | City of Palm Coast | Registration is free and open through Nov. 29 |
The first city-run year drew its crowd from shore
The 42nd parade, held December 13, 2025, was the first one the city organized. The city's post-event announcement estimated 1,000 spectators at Waterfront Park, with more watching from under the bridge, Palm Coast Marina and Grand Haven. The livestream passed 19,000 views. Mango Mike's Latin Flavors, TABS, So Good Mochi Ice Cream and DJ's Concessions served food on site.
Four captains won awards:
- Best Theme: Ron Boisvert, for a patriotic display aboard Lazy Daze
- Brightest and Most Colorful: Arthur Chaney, Palm Tiki Adventures
- Most Creative: Dale Baker, SMOKIN D
- Most Spirited Crew: Gary Kunnas, LADY K, which also served as the Grand Marshal vessel
The boat count was a different story. The Palm Coast Observer reported that 46 boats registered. Some earlier years had more than 100 on the water, and people watching in 2025 counted somewhere between about 20 and 33. Spectators commenting on the city's Facebook page mentioned a long gap in the procession, and some people thought the parade had ended before more boats came through. Norris told the Observer that more than 45 boats signed up but not all of them showed, and added, "It will grow again." Vice Mayor Theresa Pontieri told the paper she wanted to sit down with city staff to look at improvements and would like to get the Yacht Club involved again.
The 2025 parade had a large crowd and a thin line of boats. The 2026 plan addresses both.
This year's changes are aimed at captains
In its July registration announcement, the city said staff had been working with a focus group of local boaters, many of whom had been in the parade before. Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Brittany McDermott invited "all boat captains, of boats big and small" to take part.
Nearly every change for this year is aimed at captains:
- Any boat counts. Boats of any size are welcome, whether they are decorated or not. The city specifically mentions small fishing boats and pontoons.
- Awards are optional. Captains can compete for Best of Parade, Most Creative, Most Spirited Crew or Best Theme, or check "Not Interested" on the form. The city says the boater focus group asked for that option so the awards would not add pressure or expense.
- Registration is free and stays open through November 29.
- Captains tell the story. The city posted a series of videos in which past captains talk about decorating their boats and seeing families cheer from shore.
- Every registered captain gets a keepsake. A $1,000 grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District pays for commemorative burgees for each registered captain.
- Logistics come first. All captains attend a pre-parade meeting to go over logistics and ask questions.
Free registration goes back to the Yacht Club years. The club's organizer told FlaglerLive that keeping the parade free for boaters was a priority, even though other boat parades charge a fee. Two years later, free registration is still part of the city's pitch.
If you own a boat in Palm Coast and have never entered, registration takes place on the city's online form, and the deadline is the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
The shore side already got its upgrade
Parking at Waterfront Park was hard in 2025. Before that parade, FlaglerLive told readers not to count on finding a space there. The city strongly encouraged its free shuttles, which ran from European Village and the Daytona State College Palm Coast campus from 4 to 9 p.m., with Palm Coast Ford and Flagler County Transportation providing the vehicles.
That changed on October 23, when the city opened a new pavilion and expanded parking at Waterfront Park. The project added 100 parking spaces on about 1.29 acres, a 3,600-square-foot covered pavilion with picnic tables, and better pedestrian access, including connections to the kayak launch. Construction took about a year. The parking layout was designed around the four largest existing grandfather oaks in the work area, and the project added 16 live oaks, 10 slash pines and 24 cabbage palms.
The project cost $1,406,464.98. The Florida Inland Navigation District paid $629,379, about 45 percent, and the city covered the remaining $777,085.98 from its Recreation Impact Fee Fund. FIND Commissioner Randy Stapleford said at the ribbon cutting that it was the district's sixth grant for Waterfront Park. The city's release says the new parking "comes just in time" for December 5.
The same agency is paying for both sides of the parade this year. FIND funded the parking spectators will use and the burgees that go to the captains.
Where to watch on December 5
The procession starts at the Cochise Waterway, also called the North Cut, heads south under the Hammock Dunes Bridge to the Grand Haven gazebo, turns around and comes back north. Spots along that route see the boats twice.
| Viewing spot | What's there |
|---|---|
| Waterfront Park | New pavilion, 100 added parking spaces, food trucks, portable restrooms |
| St. Joe Walkway Trailhead | Under the Hammock Dunes Bridge, across from European Village, with food trucks and portable restrooms |
| Palm Coast Marina and Grand Haven | Spectators also watched from both in 2025 |
After the 2025 parade, city communications director Brittany Kershaw thanked the businesses at European Village for helping organize the crowd under the bridge, the Observer reported.
The parade goes on rain or shine, but lightning or severe weather will cancel it. Because the boats leave at 6 p.m., spectators will be watching after dark, so bring a light for the walk back to the car.
A week apart from the Starlight Parade
In 2024, a scheduling conflict with the Starlight Parade was one of the issues between the Yacht Club and the city. This year the two parades fall on back-to-back Saturdays. The Starlight Parade is December 12 at Central Park in Town Center. Festivities start at 4 p.m. and the parade steps off at 6 p.m.
Other dates for your December calendar:
- November 28: Tree Lighting Ceremony, 6 to 9 p.m.
- November 29: Last day to register a boat
- December 5: Holiday Boat Parade, 6 p.m.
- Nightly through December 30: Rotary Club's Fantasy Lights display, 6:30 to 9 p.m.
How many boats turn out on December 5 will depend on how many captains register before November 29.
The Newcomer Group lives and works along this coast, and we'll be watching for lights on the Intracoastal on December 5 too. If you're thinking about a home on Palm Coast's canals or near the waterfront, The Newcomer Group can show you what the homes along the route are worth. Start Your Home Journey and request a free market valuation.
