DECEMBER · THE BAY
Lighted Boat Parade
Boats strung with holiday lights, gliding across the bay on a December night.
When the harbor empties into the bay on a cold December evening, every boat strung with colored lights, you know the holidays have arrived in Bellingham. The Lighted Boat Parade is a small, beloved tradition that turns the dark winter waterfront into something genuinely magical.
The parade
Decorated boats — sailboats, fishing vessels, the occasional over-the-top spectacle — motor in a slow procession across the bay, lights reflecting on the black water. It is the maritime version of a holiday-lights drive, and the whole waterfront comes out to watch.
Where to watch
Boulevard Park, with its lit boardwalk out over the water, is the classic viewing spot; Squalicum Harbor and Zuanich Point work too. Bundle up, bring cocoa, and get there before dark to claim a railing.
When
The Lighted Boat Parade is an early-December evening event, often paired with other holiday-port festivities downtown. Dress for a cold, clear Northwest night — that is when it is at its best.
Thinking about life here?
Events like this are the texture of a year in Bellingham. See everything within ninety minutes of town on the interactive Fun Guide — and if you are starting to picture this as your own backyard, let us talk. I am Genaro Shaffer, a broker who actually lives this stuff.