Pompano Beach Holiday Boat Parade 2026: Plan Your Weekend

The 64th Greater Pompano Beach Holiday Boat Parade is set for Friday, December 11, 2026. Last year it started at Lake Santa Barbara and headed north up the Intracoastal, and the 2026 route map hasn’t been posted yet. The next night, the 55th Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade comes 12 miles up from downtown Fort Lauderdale and ends at the same lake. If the 2025 route holds, one small body of water off SE 7th Street is where Pompano’s own parade starts on Friday and where the region’s biggest one finishes on Saturday night.

This year Pompano’s parade has also moved its paid viewing party out of the city. That makes the public parks along Pompano’s stretch of the Intracoastal more central to both nights than they have been.

Two Nights, Side By Side

Friday, Dec. 11: 64th Greater Pompano Beach Holiday Boat Parade, organized by the Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce. Starts at Lake Santa Barbara, heading north (per the 2025 route); finishes north toward Hillsboro Boulevard. Theme: “A Party in the U.S.A.,” 50+ boats expected. Boat entry: $25.

Saturday, Dec. 12: 55th Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade, organized by Winterfest. Starts at Stranahan House, Fort Lauderdale, 6:00 PM; finishes at Lake Santa Barbara, Pompano Beach. 12 miles, about 2½ hours to pass any one spot. Boat entry: from $30.

The direction matters. On Friday, Pompano’s stretch of the Intracoastal sees the parade first. On Saturday, it sees Winterfest last.

What Changed For Friday’s Parade

The 2026 theme marks America’s 250th anniversary, and Harrah’s Casino Pompano Beach is again the presenting sponsor. Last year’s theme was “Rock the Boat – Holiday Remix.” The Chamber says it will judge for best-themed boats.

The bigger changes are about where the paid seats are:

A Chamber boat in the parade. For the first time, the Chamber is entering its own boat. A limited number of guests can ride along for $200 per person, open bar included.

The VIP party moved north. The official VIP viewing party is now at The Cove Waterfront & Tiki Bar, 1754 SE 3rd Ct. in Deerfield Beach, for $100 per person with limited space. In 2025, the City’s parade release put the VIP area and the judges’ stand at Miraggio Italian Grill, 3100 E. Atlantic Boulevard, right in Pompano.

Livestreaming continues. The parade will stream on the Chamber’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Start time — corrected: Both the Chamber and the City now agree the 64th Greater Pompano Beach Holiday Boat Parade begins at 6:00 PM on Friday, Dec 11, 2026.

The Lake Itself Closes At Sunset

The City’s parks directory lists Lake Santa Barbara Park at 2290 SE 7th Street. It’s a 0.2-acre park with benches, open daily from sunrise to sunset. City code classifies it as a passive park. It bans entering the lake from the park, launching or pulling out watercraft there, and tying up a boat.

So the spot both parades share isn’t a viewing area. It’s a small neighborhood park with posted daylight hours, and both parades happen after dark. Parade-night crowds end up at other parks along the waterway.

Where Pompano Has Watched Friday’s Parade

Last year, the City’s release named one public viewing site. Spectator bleachers were set up at Alsdorf Park, 2901 NE 14th Street, on the 14th Street Causeway. The City’s park page lists restrooms, picnic areas, a playground, fishing, a boat dock and ADA access there. For a two-to-three-hour evening outside, restrooms make a difference.

A Florida Rambler parade roundup lists more Pompano parks for this parade: NE 16th Street Park, Harbor’s Edge Park, Scott Winters Memorial Park and North Riverside Park. It also lists Sullivan Park in Deerfield Beach. The same roundup names Houston’s and Sands Harbor in Pompano and Cap’s Place in Lighthouse Point as waterfront restaurants along the route. That list hadn’t been updated for the 2026 date when it was last checked, and none of those restaurants had posted a 2026 parade offer. Call ahead before planning dinner around one.

As of today, no 2026 City notice confirms bleachers, parking or bridge times. The 2025 pattern is the best guide until one is posted.

Getting Across The Water That Night

The bridges are the biggest practical issue for anyone living east of the Intracoastal. In 2025, the City said the NE 14th Street Causeway and Atlantic Boulevard bridges would be “locked in the open position from approximately 6:15 p.m. until the parade passes,” and it advised drivers to use other routes. In 2024, the City also listed the Hillsboro Boulevard bridge, since that year’s route went through the Hillsboro Bridge to Sullivan Park on the Deerfield Beach and Boca Raton line.

If those closures repeat in 2026:

1. Finish errands on the mainland before about 6:00 PM.
2. Pick a viewing spot on your side of the water, or cross early and plan to wait.
3. Assume the 14th Street Causeway and Atlantic Boulevard crossings stay closed until the last boat passes, not until the parade starts moving.
4. Check the City’s press releases in early December for the 2026 notice. The 2025 one came out December 3.

Saturday, From The Finish Line

Winterfest’s Ways To Watch page recommends Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park in Fort Lauderdale. At the official viewing area, 80 Las Olas Circle, gates open at 4:00 PM, and the parade is expected around 6:30 PM. A 5:30 PM pre-show of non-motorized boats runs downtown.

Winterfest hasn’t published a time for when boats reach Pompano. Its page says the parade takes about 2½ hours to view from one location and that start times “stagger as you travel north.” The posted event window is 6:00 to 8:30 PM, and the route ends at Lake Santa Barbara, so Pompano should see the lead boats well after the Las Olas crowd does.

Have a December question, like which side of the bridge makes sense for your evening or how parade weekend fits into a winter showing schedule? Let’s talk it through. As the #SingingAgent, Patti never minds a soundtrack on the water, and Patti Davila PA is glad to help in English, Spanish, French or Italian. Schedule your concierge consultation.

Get in Touch — Email pdhomes4sale@icloud.com, Phone (954) 821-0257, Phone (954) 776-5400, Address 3010 E Commercial Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308.