Quick answer: The Treasure Coast's three Christmas boat parades in 2026 are Martin County (Stuart) on Saturday, December 5, Vero Beach on Sunday, December 6 at 6:00 p.m., and St. Lucie County (Fort Pierce) on Saturday, December 12, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., according to the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, the City of Vero Beach and the Fort Pierce Yacht Club. In Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, 2026 in North Palm Beach and reaches Jupiter at about 8 p.m. The Martin County start time of 6 p.m. appears only on an event aggregator's listing. As of October 24, 2026, no Space Coast boat parade had a 2026 date from its organizer, and the Boynton Beach, Cocoa Village and Cocoa Beach parades were listed for December 11 and 12, 2026 only by tourism or guide sites, so confirm those with the organizers before you plan around them.
Here are the 2026 Christmas boat parades on the Treasure Coast, the Space Coast and in Palm Beach County, with the dates, times, routes and viewing spots as I checked them on October 24, 2026. Where a detail comes only from a listing site, I say so.
Which Christmas boat parades have a confirmed 2026 date?
Each has a 2026 date on the organizer's, city's or co-host's own page.
| Date (2026) | Start time | Boat parade | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, December 5 | 6:00 p.m. (aggregator listing only) | Martin County Christmas Boat Parade | Sandsprit Park and the Manatee Pocket toward downtown Stuart | MIATC for the date; allevents.in for time and route |
| Saturday, December 5 | 6:00 p.m.; arrives in Jupiter about 8:00 p.m. | Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade | North Palm Beach up the Intracoastal to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse | Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County |
| Sunday, December 6 | 6:00 p.m. | Vero Beach Christmas Boat Parade | Just north of the Merrill P. Barber Bridge to just past Royal Palm Pointe Park | City of Vero Beach, September 29, 2026 |
| Saturday, December 12 | 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.; boats gather about 5:30 p.m. | St. Lucie County Christmas Boat Parade | Fort Pierce waterfront and Inlet area | Fort Pierce Yacht Club listing |
The Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast (MIATC) lists all three Treasure Coast parades on one page, last modified September 30, 2026; its headings print no year, but the registration links are dated December 5, 6 and 12, 2026. MIATC says boater registration is free and proceeds benefit its workforce readiness initiative. Its times and routes are on flyer images that would not load for me.
On Saturday, December 5, four parades are listed for 6 p.m.: the Martin County (secondary listing) and Palm Beach boat parades and the Vero Beach and Port St. Lucie land parades.
Martin County (Stuart) Christmas boat parade, December 5, 2026
MIATC's page gives the date but no time or route in its text. An undated allevents.in listing, drawn from what it labels the parade's official Facebook page (viewed October 24, 2026), gives 6:00 p.m. and a route that begins at Sandsprit Park, loops the Manatee Pocket, heads toward downtown Stuart and the Roosevelt Bridge, and ends with festivities at the Downtown Stuart Riverwalk and Flagler Park. It also names viewing spots, but it is an aggregator, not MIATC, so I am not repeating them. I found no 2026 announcement of a downtown Stuart watch party. Confirm with MIATC before you pick a spot.
Vero Beach Christmas boat parade, December 6, 2026
The City of Vero Beach announced the parade on September 29, 2026: Sunday, December 6, 2026, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The route starts at IR Light 139, just north of the Merrill P. Barber Bridge, circles Fritz Island, passes the judges at the City Marina fuel dock, runs south past Farley Island, turns east at Riomar Daybeacon 1 toward the Quail Valley River Club and back, continues south to the Vero Isles channel, and finishes northbound just past Royal Palm Pointe Park.
The city names five places to watch: the City Marina, Riverside Park, the Cole Coppola Memorial Fishing Pier, A.W. Young Park and Royal Palm Pointe Park. Entry is free for boaters, prizes go to small, medium and large boats, and sign-up is through MIATC. The city's post does not state a 2026 theme.
Fort Pierce (St. Lucie County) Christmas boat parade, December 12, 2026
The Fort Pierce Yacht Club, which organizes the parade with MIATC, lists the 2026 St. Lucie County Christmas Boat Parade for Saturday, December 12, 2026, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Boats gather about 5:30 p.m. near Daybeacon 188 in the channel off the Fort Pierce City Marina, and the listing says they "will travel through the waterfront and Inlet area." The 2026 theme is "Stars, Stripes & Christmas Lights," marking America's 250th and Fort Pierce's 125th, and the parade is free for boaters and the public.
For viewing, the listing names Seaway Drive, with its public beaches, walkways and waterfront restaurants overlooking the Inlet, and Museum Point Park. It says the Fort Pierce City Marina is not recommended, because the boats are farther from shore there, and it asks boaters who come to watch to anchor north of the channel.
Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, December 5, 2026
The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County's page for the 32nd annual parade, last modified October 14, 2026, says the parade "begins at 6 p.m. and arrives in Jupiter at approximately 8 p.m." on Saturday, December 5, 2026. It starts in North Palm Beach and runs up the Intracoastal behind a Zambelli traveling fireworks display to a finale at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, rain or shine. Its bridge times are estimates from past parades, and it notes that permits allow a one-hour opening.
| Bridge (as the organizer names it) | Estimated time, from past parades |
|---|---|
| Parker | About 6:00 p.m. |
| PGA | About 6:15 p.m. |
| Donald Ross | About 7:00 p.m. |
| Indiantown Road | Around 7:30 p.m. |
| Jupiter Federal | About 7:45 p.m. |
Public viewing spots the organizer names: North Palm Beach Country Club, Waterway Cafe (PGA), Bert Winters Park and Juno Park in Juno, and in Jupiter, Sawfish Bay Park, Lighthouse Park, Waterway Park, the Riverwalk, Harborside Place, Charlie and Joe's at Love Street and Square Grouper Tiki Bar, plus Utiki and Jetty's.
Which boat parades do not have a confirmed 2026 date?
As of October 24, 2026, these five boat parades had no 2026 date from their organizers: the three on the Space Coast and two in Palm Beach County. Last year's dates are labeled 2025.
| Boat parade | What I found for 2026 | Last year's parade (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Boynton Beach Holiday Boat Parade | Friday, December 11, 2026, 6:00 p.m., listed by Discover The Palm Beaches, the county tourism bureau; the organizer's page would not load | Friday, December 12, 2025, 6:30 p.m. (City of Delray Beach) |
| Cocoa Village Holiday Boat Parade | Friday, December 11, 2026, 6 p.m., listed only by the Orlando Date Night Guide (updated September 16, 2026). Cocoa Village Main Street's 2026 events page lists no boat parade and its undated parade page shows 12/08 with no year; the City of Cocoa calendar lists a Holiday Tree Lighting and Movie in the Park at 401 Riveredge Blvd. that night instead | Friday, December 12, 2025, 6 p.m., Cocoa Riverfront Park (WFLA) |
| Cocoa Beach Christmas Boat Parade (Rotary) | Saturday, December 12, 2026, 6 p.m., listed by the Orlando Date Night Guide; not announced by the city or Rotary | Saturday, December 13, 2025, 6:00 p.m. per the City of Cocoa Beach (WFLA listed 6:30 p.m.), with McNabb Park open for viewing |
| Merritt Island Christmas Boat Parade, Sykes Creek | No 2026 information found | Saturday, December 13, 2025, starting 5:45 p.m. (ClickOrlando) |
| Lake Osborne Holiday Boat Parade, Lantana | No 2026 information found | Friday, December 19, 2025, 7 p.m., from The Hive Waterfront Restaurant and Tiki Bar (WFLA) |
The Boynton Beach time is worth a call: 6:00 p.m. on the 2026 tourism listing, 6:30 p.m. on Delray Beach's 2025 listing for the same route, from the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana south to the C-15 Canal in Delray Beach. For Merritt Island, ClickOrlando reported in November 2025 that the 2024 sponsor had canceled, citing "ongoing legal and safety concerns," and that the parade would go on "grassroots style" with "no official sponsors." I found nothing on 2026.
Which Christmas parades on land have 2026 dates?
Port St. Lucie has no boat parade that I could find. Its Festival of Lights on Saturday, December 5, 2026 runs 2:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center, and the city says its "Parade of Lights starts at 6 p.m., followed by our tree lighting and fireworks."
| Date (2026) | Time | Parade | Where | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, December 4 | 7:00 p.m. | 65th Annual Stuart Christmas Parade, "Santa's Stuart Vacation" | Stuart | Organizer |
| Saturday, December 5 | 10:00 a.m. | Merritt Island Holiday Parade, "Gingerbread Lane" | Merritt Island High School south on Courtenay Parkway (SR-3) to Edgewood Junior/Senior High School | Brevard County |
| Saturday, December 5 | 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. | Hobe Sound Christmas Parade | Hobe Sound | Hobe Sound Chamber (no year printed) |
| Saturday, December 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Port St. Lucie Parade of Lights | MIDFLORIDA Event Center | City of Port St. Lucie |
| Saturday, December 5 | 6:00 p.m. | Vero Beach Christmas Parade, Sunrise Rotary of Vero Beach | Vero Beach | Organizer |
| Sunday, December 6 | Event hours 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. | 38th Annual Sights and Sounds on Second, "That's a Wrap! Celebrating Milestones & Memories" | Starts at Tickle Tummy Hill on Second Street, Fort Pierce | Main Street Fort Pierce |
| Saturday, December 12 | 10:00 a.m. | Cocoa/Rockledge Holiday Parade, "Gingerbread Lane" | Rockledge High School north on Florida Avenue to Brevard Avenue, ending at Lee Wenner Park | Brevard County |
Main Street Fort Pierce gives event hours, not a separate step-off time, and says participant applications are due November 20, 2026. The Hobe Sound Chamber calendar shows "Saturday, December 5" with no year and no route; I read it as 2026 because the calendar view ran from October 24, 2026 to October 24, 2027 and December 5 is a Saturday in 2026. The Vero Beach Christmas Parade's route page is not dated to 2026, and the Stuart route is on a map I did not read. As of October 24, 2026, I found no 2026 dates for the Sebastian, Palm Bay, Melbourne, Titusville, Lake Worth Beach or Jupiter and Tequesta parades or for Light Up Viera, and I found no Jensen Beach parade in any source I read.
Entering a boat? What to check first
- Register through MIATC for Stuart, Vero Beach and Fort Pierce (MIATC says boater registration is free).
- For the Palm Beach parade, register with the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County by November 19; its 2026 parade page says the refundable $50 deposit is then waived.
- Ask the organizer for the 2026 staging time, route and boat requirements.
- Watching from the water: anchor north of the channel at Fort Pierce, as the listing asks. In Palm Beach County, the organizer says boats anchored in front of the North Palm Beach Marina or the Country Club will be asked to move.
Still deciding whether to own a boat? See my post on a boat club versus buying a boat.
What I could not confirm
Beyond the unreadable MIATC flyers, I did not read the road closure maps for the Stuart, Hobe Sound, Fort Pierce or Port St. Lucie parades, so this post gives no closures. Check the organizer's page the week of the parade, since times and routes can change.
For everything else happening in December, see my guides to the Treasure Coast in December, the Space Coast in December and Palm Beach County in December. Where the guides and this post differ, this post has the later check (October 24, 2026).
Questions people ask about the 2026 Christmas boat parades
When are the Christmas boat parades on the Treasure Coast in 2026?
The Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast lists Martin County (Stuart) on Saturday, December 5, Vero Beach on Sunday, December 6 and St. Lucie County (Fort Pierce) on Saturday, December 12, 2026. The City of Vero Beach gives a 6:00 p.m. start, and the Fort Pierce Yacht Club listing gives 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.; the Martin County time of 6:00 p.m. comes only from an aggregator listing.
Where can I watch the Vero Beach boat parade?
The City of Vero Beach names the City Marina, Riverside Park, the Cole Coppola Memorial Fishing Pier, A.W. Young Park and Royal Palm Pointe Park. The 2026 parade starts at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 6.
Where should I watch the Fort Pierce boat parade?
The 2026 listing names Seaway Drive and Museum Point Park, and says the Fort Pierce City Marina is not recommended because the boats are farther from shore there. Boaters who come to watch are asked to anchor north of the channel.
When is the Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade in 2026?
Saturday, December 5, 2026. The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County says it begins at 6 p.m. in North Palm Beach and arrives in Jupiter at approximately 8 p.m., rain or shine.
Does Port St. Lucie have a Christmas boat parade?
I could not find one. The city's Parade of Lights starts at 6 p.m. during the Festival of Lights on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at the MIDFLORIDA Event Center, followed by the tree lighting and fireworks.
Do the Space Coast boat parades have 2026 dates?
As of October 24, 2026, none had a 2026 date from its organizer. A guide site lists Cocoa Village for Friday, December 11 and Cocoa Beach for Saturday, December 12, 2026, and I found no 2026 information for the Merritt Island parade on Sykes Creek.
Talk with William. Planning a December visit, or weighing a move to one of these waterfront towns? Call or text me your travel dates and the towns you are considering, and I will send you the 2026 parade dates near each one and pull the recent closed sales in those areas so you can see what homes there have sold for. Call or text (772) 800-2274 or send a message.
General information, not legal, tax, lending or insurance advice, and not a guarantee of any price, fee, date or outcome. Parade dates, times, routes and viewing areas are set by each organizer and can change; the Martin County start time and route and the Boynton Beach, Cocoa Village and Cocoa Beach 2026 dates come from secondary listings, so confirm with the event organizer before you go. References are as reviewed on October 24, 2026. William Merchant, REALTOR®, RE/MAX Gold. Each RE/MAX office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Sources
- Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast: Christmas Boat Parades, 2026 registration (last modified September 30, 2026)
- City of Vero Beach: Vero Beach Christmas Boat Parade, Sunday, December 6, 2026 (news post, September 29, 2026)
- Fort Pierce Yacht Club listing on evvnt: 2026 St. Lucie County Christmas Boat Parade, December 12, 2026 (viewed October 24, 2026)
- Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County: 32nd Annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade, December 5, 2026 (last modified October 14, 2026)
- City of Port St. Lucie: Special Events, Festival of Lights and Parade of Lights, December 5, 2026
- Stuart Christmas Parade: 65th Annual Stuart Christmas Parade, December 4, 2026
- Sunrise Rotary of Vero Beach: 2026 Vero Beach Christmas Parade, December 5, 2026 (undated)
- Main Street Fort Pierce: 38th Annual Sights and Sounds on Second Parade, December 6, 2026
- Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce: chamber calendar, Hobe Sound Christmas Parade, Saturday, December 5 (year not printed; viewed October 24, 2026)
- Brevard County: Merritt Island and Cocoa/Rockledge holiday parades, December 5 and 12, 2026 (news release, September 22, 2026)
- Cocoa Village Main Street: Hot Cocoa Holidays 2026 events, no boat parade listed (viewed October 24, 2026)
- Cocoa Village Main Street: Holiday Boat Parade event page, 12/08 with no year (undated; viewed October 24, 2026)
- City of Cocoa: Special Events Calendar, Holiday Tree Lighting and Movie in the Park, December 11, 2026 (viewed October 24, 2026)
- City of Cocoa Beach: city message with the Rotary Christmas Boat Parade, December 13, 2025 (December 8, 2025)
- City of Delray Beach: Boynton Beach Holiday Boat Parade, December 12, 2025 (city calendar)
- allevents.in: 2026 Martin County Christmas Boat Parade (event aggregator, undated, secondary; viewed October 24, 2026)
- Discover The Palm Beaches: Boynton Beach and Delray Beach Holiday Boat Parade, December 11, 2026 (county tourism bureau, undated, secondary)
- Orlando Date Night Guide: 2026 holiday boat parades near Orlando (published May 8, 2026, updated September 16, 2026, secondary)
- ClickOrlando: Merritt Island Christmas boat parade canceled due to legal issues, safety concerns (November 10, 2025, updated November 11, 2025, secondary)
- WFLA: List of holiday boat parades in Florida, 2025 (November 23, 2025, secondary)
