Arts & Entertainment Community
Lighted Boats Parade dazzles in the darkness
Despite the chill and intermittent rain that had people donning and doffing rain gear, several hundred attendees tromped over the grassy grounds of Skansie Brothers Park to catch a glimpse of boats a-twinkle with lights, during this year’s annual Lighted Boats Parade on the evening of Dec. 14.
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People wait at Skansie Brothers Park for the Lighted Boat Parade to start in downtown Gig Harbor on Dec. 14, 2024. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
In addition to boats sailing through the harbor, people could also visit boats sitting along Jerisich Dock.
Crews had decorated their boats with brilliantly colored lights that made the harbor waters gleam with an almost otherworldly glow that rippled out to people watching from the shore.
A lighted boat crew waits to set sail. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
Inside one boat, a small child helped to decorate a small Christmas tree. Atop another, several inflatable characters from the famous* Disney movie, Frozen, stood ready to set sail.
Over the course of the evening, several dozen boats — including what looked from the darkened shore to be at least one kayaking duo — glided out across the water, treating attendees’ eyes to everything from simple strands of lights along the boats’ skeletons to full-on Christmas tableaux, complete with Christmas trees, snowmen, and Santas.
Lighted Boat Parade attendee Cathy Grisdale, right, admires Marty Hobbs’ boat. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
*Author’s Note: An alternate spelling, “infamous,” is common in households whose children watched this movie multiple times a day for several months.
Marty Hobbs, left, hands out a candy cane to Lighted Boat Parade attendee Cathy Grisdale, right. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
Standing on Jerisich Dock, Staci takes a picture of the Christmas tree. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
People watch the lighted boats sail through the harbor. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
A lighted boat sails through the harbor. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
A lighted boat sporting a Christmas tree sails through the harbor. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
People walk down Jerisich Dock to visit the lighted boats waiting their turn to sail in the Lighted Boat Parade. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
A lighted boat that holds a full-on Christmas display sails through the harbor. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024
A lighted boat sails through the harbor. Photo by Carolyn Bick © Carolyn Bick 2024