The Fort Lauderdale boat parade, officially the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade, runs on a Saturday evening in mid-December, launching at 6:00 p.m. from downtown on the New River and cruising roughly 12 miles to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach. Watching from the riverbanks and Intracoastal seawalls is free; the official grandstands at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park are ticketed. We confirm the exact date and ticket prices each year at winterfestparade.com before making plans.
Plan your visit
- Check the date and timeline on the official Winterfest site.
- Pick a zone: downtown Riverwalk, Birch State Park, or Pompano.
- Buy grandstand or spectator-boat tickets early if you want a seat.
- Arrive by 4:30 p.m. and claim your spot before bridges close.
- Eat before or bring food; waterfront restaurants book out.
- Stay put until the last boat passes, then wait out the bridge traffic.
What to bring
- Folding chairs or a blanket
- A light jacket, December evenings dip into the 60s
- Water and snacks
- Phone fully charged, cell service gets slow in crowds
- Cash or card for food trucks and park entry
- Printed or mobile grandstand ticket
When the parade happens
Winterfest has run for more than 50 years and always lands on a Saturday in December, usually the second or third weekend. The 2025 parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 13, 2025. The first boat leaves downtown at 6:00 p.m., a new start time for 2025, and the full lineup takes roughly 2.5 hours to pass any single viewing point.
The parade goes on rain or shine in most years. Severe weather can cancel it outright, as it did in 2023, the first weather cancellation in the event’s 52-year history, and Winterfest posts any change on its site and social channels. The theme and Grand Marshal change every year, so even repeat visitors see a different show.
The route, start to finish
Boats stage on the New River west of downtown, pass the Riverwalk and Las Olas Boulevard, then turn north on the Intracoastal Waterway. From there the parade runs under Sunrise Boulevard past Birch State Park, continues past Oakland Park and Commercial boulevards, and finishes at Lake Santa Barbara. Winterfest publishes an estimated timeline for each landmark; the table below gives a rough sense of pacing.
| Landmark | Approximate arrival after launch | Viewing style |
|---|---|---|
| Riverwalk and Esplanade Park, downtown | 6:00 p.m. start | Free, busiest |
| Las Olas Boulevard bridge area | 20 to 40 minutes | Free, bars and restaurants nearby |
| Hugh Taylor Birch State Park grandstands | 60 to 90 minutes | Ticketed, best sightlines |
| Oakland Park and Commercial boulevards | 90 minutes to 2.5 hours | Free, residential seawalls |
| Lake Santa Barbara, Pompano Beach | 2.5 to 3 hours | Free, quietest finish |
Treat those times as estimates. The lead boat moves at idle speed and the gaps between entries vary, so the official timeline on the Winterfest site is the one to trust on the day.
Where to watch
Free spots along the route
Downtown is where the energy is. Esplanade Park, Laura Ward Riverwalk Plaza and the Riverwalk promenade fill up early because every boat passes close enough to read the names on the transoms. The trade-off is crowds and limited bathrooms, so we arrive well before 5 p.m. if we want a front-row patch of grass.
Farther north, the Intracoastal widens and the viewing spreads out. Public access points near Las Olas and the seawalls in Coral Ridge and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea give you water views without the downtown crush. Residents along the route decorate their homes for the Shoreline Decorating contest, which is half the fun of walking the neighborhoods.
Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach is the finish line and the easiest place to park. The boats arrive late, often after 9 p.m., but the lake gives you a wide basin where every entry circles past.
Ticketed grandstands at Birch State Park
The grandstand viewing area sits inside Hugh Taylor Birch State Park on the Intracoastal, with the park entrance on East Sunrise Boulevard. Seats face the water head-on and come with food vendors, restrooms and entertainment before the first boat arrives. Tickets go on sale in the fall through the Winterfest site, and in recent years general grandstand seats have started around $35, with premium and VIP seating priced higher. They sell out most years, so we buy as soon as sales open.
Restaurants and spectator boats
Waterfront restaurants on the route, including Shooters Waterfront on the Intracoastal and the places clustered around the Las Olas bridge, run parade-night seatings with minimums. Reservations open weeks ahead and disappear fast. Water Taxi and other local operators also sell spectator cruises that follow or anchor near the route; a seat on the water means no bridge traffic and a bar on board.
Good to know
Bridges along the route close to road traffic while boats pass, and the closures can last well past the last entry. Plan to be on the side of the water you want to end the night on.
Getting there and parking
Brightline’s Fort Lauderdale station on NW 2nd Avenue is a 10-minute walk from the Riverwalk, which makes it the easiest way in from Miami or West Palm Beach. Broward County Transit buses serve Broward Boulevard downtown. If you drive, the downtown garages on SE 2nd Street and along Las Olas fill by late afternoon, and street parking near the river is metered until late.
For the grandstands, Winterfest’s ticket page spells out parking and shuttle details for Birch State Park each year, and we follow those instructions rather than hunting for a spot on Sunrise Boulevard. In Pompano Beach, the parks and street parking around Lake Santa Barbara are rarely full.
Local tip
We skip the Las Olas bridge scrum and walk north along the Intracoastal seawalls between Sunrise and Oakland Park boulevards. The boats are just as close, the crowd is thinner, and the decorated homes on the water add their own light show.
Winterfest beyond parade night
The parade is the headline, but Winterfest Inc., the nonprofit behind it, runs a full season. The Winterfest Black Tie Ball at Seminole Hard Rock is the main fundraiser. Family Fun Day in Esplanade Park is a free afternoon with activities and a preview of the Grand Marshal and showboats. The Captain’s Meeting briefs boat owners, and the Captain’s Cup awards go to the best-decorated entries in each class.
The Winterfest Auction runs online in the weeks before the parade and includes everything from yacht charters to grandstand packages, with proceeds supporting the Winterfest Foundation’s scholarships and marine education programs. After the season, the Winterfest Appreciation Party thanks volunteers and participants. The #WinterfestFL Fan E-newsletter is the simplest way to hear about ticket on-sale dates, the theme and timeline updates; the sign-up lives on the Winterfest site.
Want to enter a boat? Applications open in the fall, entries pay a fee, and vessels must meet a minimum length and lighting requirement set by Winterfest. Private boats are also welcome to anchor along the Intracoastal to watch, as long as they stay outside the marked parade lane.
When to get help
Questions about grandstand tickets, boat entries or group seating go to the Winterfest office through the contact details on winterfestparade.com. For park access on parade night, Hugh Taylor Birch State Park staff handle entry at the Sunrise gate.
Other boat parades in South Florida
Fort Lauderdale is the biggest, but it is not the only one. Pompano Beach, Boca Raton and Delray Beach each run their own holiday boat parades on the Intracoastal in December, and the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade travels north from the Palm Beach inlet area toward Jupiter. Dates shift year to year and sometimes stack on consecutive weekends, so check each city’s site. Visitors building a weekend around the parade often pair it with a day in Miami; our guide to things to do in Miami covers the options.
FAQ
Is the Fort Lauderdale boat parade free?
Yes along most of the route. You only pay for the official grandstand seats at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, restaurant seatings or spectator cruises.
What time should I arrive?
For downtown, by 4:30 p.m. For Birch State Park, when the gates open, which the ticket page lists. For Pompano Beach, 7:30 p.m. is early enough.
How long does the parade last?
Any single viewing spot sees the full lineup pass in roughly 2.5 hours.
Is it kid-friendly?
Very. Bring chairs, snacks and a jacket, and pick Birch State Park or the Pompano finish if your group needs restrooms close by.
Where do I confirm the date and ticket prices?
The official Winterfest site, winterfestparade.com, posts the parade date, timeline, viewing areas and ticket sales each season.
