Celebrate the Season With Two Boca Holiday Parades This Week

Two of Boca Raton’s favorite annual holiday traditions are taking place this week, with the city’s Holiday Street Parade set to take over Federal Highway tonight and the Holiday Boat Parade to follow soon after on Sunday night.

This evening, the 49th Annual Boca Holiday Street Parade will begin at 7:00 p.m. and wrap up around 9:00 p.m., and will feature more than 70 floats and group performers. The parade will begin at Federal Highway and NE 5th street, traveling north to the Mizner Park Amphitheater. This year’s theme is “Out of This World!,” and groups from many local schools and institutions will bring their best holiday performances to spectators in Downtown Boca.

A warning to drivers: Federal Highway will be closed to vehicular traffic between Glades Road and Camino Real from 5:00 p.m. to about 11:00 p.m. for the parade.

The street parade will be followed shortly by the 43rd Annual Holiday Boat Parade this Sunday evening, which will see dozens of boats decked out in holiday lights and decorations. The boat parade will begin at 6:30 p.m., starting out at the Delray Beach–Boca Raton border and continuing south along the intracoastal waterway to the Hillsboro bridge.

The boat parade can be enjoyed from homes along the intracoastal, or from viewing areas at Red Reef Park, Silver Palm Park, and the site of the future Wildflower Park.

Another warning to drivers: the Spanish River, Palmetto Park, and Camino Real bridges will all be kept in the “up” position as the parade procession passes underneath them, with estimated closing times listed below:

• 6:30pm – Spanish River
• 7:20pm – Palmetto Park
• 7:30pm – Camino Real