Christine Carrillo Every year, as the Newport...

Christine Carrillo

Every year, as the Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade spreads

holiday cheer across the country, it spreads a different sense of joy

to businesses along the parade route: The joy of overflowing seats in

restaurants and full boats on harbor cruises.

Attracting people to spend an evening or two at the harbor during

the parade’s five-day span has allowed local businesses, offering a

variety of commodities, to reap the benefits of its widespread

appeal.

It’s no secret that locals and visitors alike book nearly every

available reservation at the most desirable restaurants along the

harbor, giving eateries a significant boost in business.

But the monetary effect goes far beyond the dining room doors.

“There’s a multimillion dollar impact on the area here,” said

Richard Luehrs, president of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

“This is an important seasonal event that in many instances really

helps certain businesses.”

As with any tourist-related market, restaurants and hotels benefit

greatly from the influx in customers as a result of various events

throughout the year, and the Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade is

no different.

“The [restaurants] are pretty much already booked by this time,”

said Clayton Shurley, president of the Newport Beach Restaurant Assn.

“They’re going to have as much business as they can but it’s really a

tremendous economic benefit for the entire community.”

Just as the parade attracts a flood of patrons seeking dining

spots, it also attracts a number of them seeking catering and yacht

charter services. For many businesses in those particular markets,

the annual boat parade serves as the cornerstone on what their

businesses rely.

Experiencing the most profitable month of his business in

December, Shurley, owner of Clayton Shurley’s Real BBQ, a catering

restaurant in Newport Beach, is among a host of people who answer the

catering and delivering needs of parade spectators and participants

alike.

Either catering one of the boats traveling along the harbor or

delivering to residences along the parade path, Newport catering

businesses experience booming sales that help keep them successfully

afloat.

And the yacht charter businesses have worked the same way.

“It creates quite a draw for companies looking for something to do

for company Christmas parties,” said Stuart Sitko, president of

American Yacht Charters, which receives about 20% of its annual

business from the boat parade. “It’s a way to do something that’s

very memorable for their employees and clients. It’s basically, the

way I explain it to people, ‘Mardi Gras on the water’.”

While yacht charters don’t book up as fast as many of the

restaurants in the area, they do start the planning and scheduling

for the event a year in advance. And just as the restaurants offer

referrals when they’ve exhausted their availability within that time

frame, yacht charter companies work with one another to meet the

customers’ needs, keeping in mind that doing so will help the parade

and enhance the experience for its guests.

“I think the boat parade with its festive theme and certain

liberal use of lights makes for a pretty spectacular sight that

people want to see,” Luehrs said. “We make it a tradition and people

develop a routine. Lots of things are going on here that creates a

pretty exciting spirit in Newport Beach ... this is Newport’s

Christmas card to the rest of the county.”