Holidays afloat

Andrew Wainer

Thousands of holiday revelers are expected to descend upon Huntington

Harbour next week to enjoy an evening cruise past the harbor’s luminously

decorated homes.

The 37th annual “Cruise of Lights,” sponsored by the Huntington Beach

Philharmonic Committee, will offer four 50-minute cruises each night from

Dec. 14 to 22.

Committee office manager Valerie Ingham said she expects 20,000 to 25,000

participants from throughout Southern California for the event.

Hundreds of homes lining the harbor will be lit with thousands of lights

and moving displays for this year’s theme -- Millennium Melodies.

A giant champagne bottle and a Wurlitzer jukebox are some of the entries

in this year’s home decorating competition, Ingham said.

Many homes will also feature live and recorded music, including Christmas

carolers.

The cruise first started in the 1960s, with just a few homes displaying

decorations, Ingham said. The first year the committee brought in just

$6.

This year they expect to raise around $100,000, which will benefit the

Orange County Philharmonic Society.

Proceeds will be used to fund the society’s youth programs, which offer

free musical education to students throughout the county.

The cruise has raised more than $2 million for the programs since its

inception, Ingham said.

This year’s cruise celebration will also offer something new, a two-hour

holiday buffet on an 80-foot yacht.

The yacht will depart two times a night for three hours for the

waterborne buffet.

Tickets for the $48 buffet have been selling steadily, Ingham said.

Regular cruise tickets are $6 for children and $9 for adults Monday

through Thursday, and $10 for adults on the weekends.

Tours will leave hourly from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Tickets may be ordered by calling (714) 840-7542.