Every year, the city of Newport Beach hosts a festive boat parade in their harbor. Crowds gather to view the decorated boats as they light up the water for five nights at the end of the year. 2020 would have brought the 112th annual boat parade, but due to coronavirus outbreaks all throughout California it has been cancelled. 

“We felt that for public safety it is not appropriate to be having a parade,” said Steve Rosansky, president and CEO of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Rosansky and the Chamber determined that encouraging people to attend would be a health risk. People are much safer on the boats, he said, but “it is the land part that is hazardous.” It would prove quite difficult to social distance with a considerable number of people in one area. The crowds would pose a risk, whether it’s on a dock or at Marina Park – even with a mask on. 

Not only is this disappointing for the community, but for the Chamber as well.

“Cancelling the parade was a significant financial hit for the Chamber,” Rosansky explained.

The parade generates a large amount of money in revenue for business throughout the area. While it negatively affects these businesses, “it is more important to protect public safety,” Rosansky  said.

Despite the risks, however, a group of residents has decided to celebrate in their own way with a small and unofficial boat parade. In recent social media posts, as well as on local news organizations such as News Break, the group has explained that they are “motivated by providing some much-needed Christmas spirit.”

Rosansky stresses that if anyone were to engage in such social events, he hopes “people will do it as safely as possible.” 

Even though the boat parade is not possible, a house-decorating contest for home owners around the harbor, known as The Ring of Lights, is going forward.

Unlike the parade, “we felt that we could do this event safely,” Rosansky said.

This is due to people coming and going, not gathering in one space. A variety of houses officially lit up the bay for this festive event on December 14th.

While the citizens of Newport Beach and the surrounding areas do not get to witness its glamour this year, “we are pretty confident that next year’s parade will happen,” Rosansky said.