One last light for Parade
Christine Carrillo
As darkness settled over Newport Harbor on Sunday night, the 94th
annual Christmas Boat Parade shined brightly on the faces of people
preparing for one last jolt of holiday spirit.
Smiles on faces grew in anticipation; eyes widened in an
unconscious attempt to capture the luminous sight before them; and
families huddled up for warmth as the winter weather kept nipping at
their noses.
Lined up along the harbor’s shores and boarding the numerous
yachts filling its waters, spectators reveled in the spirit and
tradition of the parade that carried the theme “Celebrating America
With Lights.”
“I just felt like I had to be here for this, this year ... I
procrastinated, which I do, but I wasn’t going to miss it,” said
Janet Baldwin, a former Newport Beach resident who remembers
attending the event as a child. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I’m
just so into Christmas this year and I felt like this was the place
to be.”
Seeking a sense of seasonal merriment, Kelli Sym of Costa Mesa
also felt drawn to the parade, which began on Wednesday and is put on
by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.
“My kids loved it so we had to come back and we brought some
friends,” said Sym, who was attending the parade for the second time
this year. “I just always remembered how Christmasy it always felt
and I can’t seem to get enough this year.”
With the parade running for five days instead of the traditional
seven, local businesses couldn’t seem to get enough either. While
they benefited from the number of patrons the parade usually brings
to the area, local business people admitted that they experienced a
definite change this year with the parade’s new duo routes.
“I thought it was not going to be as good as it was but it’s kind
of good in a way because people converge more and it’s not as
sporadic,” Dan Williams, manager at Joe’s Crab Shack, said of the
changes that had the parade run shorter on Wednesday, Thursday and
Sunday night. “It helps business, no doubt about that.”
While officials at some of the restaurants along the parade route
admitted they missed the longer run of the parade and the increased
business it supplied, they found it hard to complain about the
changes.
That wasn’t the case for yacht charter companies.
Since less restaurants fell along the parade’s path this year, the
amount of competition among them decreased, while yacht charter
companies found that a combination of heightened competition and
shorter number of days hit them hard.
“It’s been more difficult for us financially,” said Jason Ware,
manager and captain for Luxury Yacht Cruises. “The month of December
is definitely a significant part of our business and the boat parade
is very important. [The changes] make the five nights of the parade
more valuable to the business.”
The value of the parade, however, was not entirely financial. For
many of the spectators who viewed the parade from the restaurants,
yachts or along the shores, this year’s parade proved to be an
invaluable success.
“Boat-wise more people participated ... and people tell me it’s
more fun this year,” Williams said. “People are just having a lot a
more fun this year than last year ... they’re more in the spirit.”
While the parade successfully brought out the holiday spirit among
its spectators, those working during the parade also enjoyed its new
look.
“I think to me, visually watching the parade, it definitely looks
a lot better this year,” Ware said. “Newport Harbor definitely has
the finest boat parade.”
* CHRISTINE CARRILLO is the news assistant. She may be reached at
(949) 574-4298 or by e-mail at christine.carrillo@latimes.com.
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