Beaufort welcomes the holidays with Light Up the Night Boat Parade

Beaufort’s three-day kickoff of the holiday season continued on Saturday with the Light Up the Night Boat Parade at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park.

The annual event is sponsored by the Beaufort Sail and Power Squadron and Main Street Beaufort, USA and celebrates the holidays with a display of lighted and decorated boats ambling up the Beaufort River just after sunset.

Attendees started arriving well before sunset to get a good spot. They lined the walkway at the park, enjoying cookies and hot chocolate, as the sun set and the 16 participating vessels slowly worked their way down the river and began circling off the park’s sea wall.

Here are some of the boats participating in the parade:

The winners of the boat parade were: Boats under 24 feet: first place, Fish Hippie with a Winter Wonderland theme, captained by Terrence Geitner; second place: Serenity with a Santa’s Pirates theme, captained by Aaron Hall.

Boats over 24 feet: first place, Career Opportunity with a Mickey’s Winter Wonderland theme, captained by Chris Collins; second place, Jomomma with a Reason For The Season theme, captained by Ray Tutor.

Beaufort’s long weekend of holiday festivities continues on Sunday with the annual Beaufort Christmas Parade through downtown. The parade steps off at 3 p.m.

This story was originally published December 2, 2017 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Beaufort welcomes the holidays with Light Up the Night Boat Parade."