March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 48 F

Koons Toyota to sponsor the 2015 Eastport Yacht Club Lights parade

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EYC-LP2013-poster-art_Ramon_Mathua-onlineThe Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade sponsored by Koons Toyota, one of Annapolis’ signature events for more than 30 years, is just around the corner!  This year, the Lights Parade will be held on Saturday, December 12, between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 PM.  The event will occur rain or shine, with only high winds forcing a cancellation.

The parade bursts upon the Annapolis waterfront with up to 40 boats of all shapes and sizes, power and sail, and decorated with thousands of glittering lights. Skippers participate for the fun of it and circle the waterfront in two fleets: one circling in front of Eastport, the City Dock and the Naval Academy Seawall, the other fleet circling the length of Spa Creek, inside the bridge. This year, due to construction, Ego Alley will be closed.

Lights Parade participants can compete for prizes and recognition either individually, or as a representative of their club. The parade is an excellent opportunity to show off a boat or to showcase a club.  Anyone may enter and Eastport Yacht Club provides safety briefings as well as decorating advice.

More than 50 volunteers work all year long to produce this event, a gift to the city of Annapolis from the Eastport Yacht Club.  Twenty to thirty thousand people line the waterfront each year to watch this glittering holiday parade. In 1988, the event was proclaimed the official Maryland Winter Celebration! Funds from the Lights Parade go to the EYC Foundation which helps the young and the disabled.

The  Lights Parade Livestream event is back and running for 2015. The parade will be broadcast LIVE on December 12th (www.livestream.com).  Roku TV devices allow for live streaming of the event on many TVs. For further details you can check out the EYC Lights Parade on facebook, (www.facebook.com/EastportYachtClubLightsParade)  or the clubs website: www.eastportyc.org.

People can take home memories of the Lights Parade by purchasing posters and other items.  This year, students from around Anne Arundel County were invited to submit artwork for the EYC Lights Parade Poster Contest. Fifty-nine pieces of art work were submitted from elementary, middle, and senior high schools. Judges will select winners from the various school categories, plus there will be a “Peoples Choice Award” selected on the Lights Parade Facebook. Posters, hats, tee shirts and magnets will be available for sale  through the Eastport Yacht Club, and several downtown locations including Fawcetts Boat Supplies, Marias Picture Framing, and the Annapolis Maritime Museum

Skippers, still have time to register their boats for this joyful holiday event. Entry forms are available online at www.eastportyc.org. Click on the lights parade and then the “registration” tab. For more information about boat registration, contact Teeja Meier at [[email protected]].

For more information about the Lights Parade including parade maps, parking information, and viewing sites, visit the Eastport Yacht Club website at:  www.eastportyc.org.

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