GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - The 26th annual Christmas on the Bayou boat parade will take place on Saturday, December 13.
Organizers are expecting 50 to 60 decorated boats to participate.
Ross Cruthirds, an event organizer, said this year’s parade is on track to exceed typical participation numbers.
The event has grown significantly from its early years, from fewer than twenty decorated boats to being recognized as a top twenty event in the Southeast United States by the Southeast Tourism Society on several occasions
“It’s a very good event for the family and friends to get out,” Cruthirds said. “There are all sorts of different categories, everything from skiffs all the way to sports fishermen that are 55, 60 foot long. So everybody has a chance to participate in this one.”
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Along with the decorated boats, waterfront houses also compete to be named the Parade Captain’s Best House on the bayou.
The parade will begin at 6 p.m. at Gulfport Lake, travel up Bayou Bernard, and return down the Industrial Seaway by the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies.
Public viewing is at Gulfport Lake, Captain’s Wharf, and James Hill Park.
The US Coast Guard, the Department of Marine Resources, and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department patrol the waterway, ensuring safe passage for all participants.
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