It is Christmastime in San Diego and San Francisco, and for many of our students, this means celebrating the holiday away from home. This also means that this is an opportunity to experience the holiday traditions that each city has to offer! Both San Diego and San Francisco have Christmas boat parades, and both events will happen next weekend (December 14 and 15). These events are guaranteed to get you in the Christmas spirit . . . even if the weather is beautiful and you are wearing warm-weather clothes during the daytime! (This is especially true for our SD students!) So bundle up, grab some friends and some warm cider, and enjoy an evening watching beautiful boats on the waters of San Diego and San Francisco.
San Francisco’s event will be held on Friday, December 14, 2012, starting at 6:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Fisherman’s Wharf Community Benefit District and the St. Francis Yacht Club and will feature more than 60 boats decorated with lights and holiday decorations.
The parade route will begin just off of PIER 39, proceed west past Fisherman’s Wharf, Fort Mason and the St. Francis Yacht Club, and will turn around off of Crissy Field to return along the waterfront. Spectators can enjoy wonderful views from Aquatic Park, PIER 39, the Marina Green, and Crissy Field. In addition to offering a fantastic vantage point, restaurants along the Wharf will be featuring traditional holiday menus.
San Diego’s event, the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, will take place on Sunday, December 16, at 5:30 p.m. The boats depart from Shelter Island and drive past Harbor Island, the Embarcadero, Seaport Village, and Ferry Landing in Coronado. Each of these locations is a great place to view the boats.
The SD Bay Parade of Lights has offered a schedule so you can be sure not to miss the boats from the location you will be watching. The following is the schedule:
- Shelter Island (start of parade) 5:30 p.m.
- Harbor Island 6 p.m.
- The Embarcadero 6:30 p.m.
- Seaport Village 7 p.m.
- Ferry Landing on Coronado 7:30 p.m.
For more information on each of these events, visit http://www.sdparadeoflights.org/parade_route.htm and :www.visitfishermanswharf.com/fishermans-wharf/holiday-lights-sights-boat-parade.
Happy Holidays to all of our students!