Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade

 

December 14, 2024, from 6 - 8 p.m!

The Eastport Yacht Club's Lights Parade to celebrate its 42nd year in 2024!

 

The magical Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade takes place along the Annapolis Harbor and Spa Creek on the second Saturday in December every year. This annual tradition has been delighting holiday revelers for 40 years!

History

It all began in the 1980s when Eastport Yacht Club (EYC) started. Back then, the club was based in a fourth-floor room with a tiny bar in a complex in what is now Annapolis City Marina. Some of the earliest members lived on boats in that marina and used the club as their living room, especially after the weather got cooler. Feeling the spirit (pun intended) one December night, a few took to their boats and tooled around the harbor, singing Christmas carols. 1

Because it was so much fun, the EYC members decided to build upon the parade by adding lights to decorate their boats, making it an annual tradition. Although several tour operators sell packages during the lights parade, where you can watch the event on the water, the event is free. (Click here for more tours.) Now, it is an officially sanctioned and sponsored event on the Annapolis & Anne Arundel County holiday calendar.

Where to Watch

Book a cruise, join a friend's boat or watch from the Annapolis city front or Spa Creek Bridge. More great viewing spots are at the end of any street in downtown Annapolis that ends at the water. Pocket parks in Eastport and Murray Hill are also great vantage points for sipping some cocoa and watching the boat parade sail by.

To learn more about the parade's history, read this great blog on Annapolis Discovered.

Quote taken from the blog: Behind the Mask: Tom Stalder & the History of the EYC Lights Parade

 

Plan your Winter in Annapolis experience at the links below!