World Through My Eyes: Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade

The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is the premier Christmas event in Southern California. It began in 1907 with John Scarpa, an Italian gondolier, and Joseph Beek, a developer and owner of the Balboa Ferry Line. Scarpa initiated the tradition of lighting boats by taking a group of visitors from Pasadena across the bay in a gondola decorated with Japanese lanterns. One year later, in 1908, the first lighted boat parade took place. The parade, illuminated by Japanese lanterns, was led by Scarpa’s gondola and followed by eight canoes.

In 1913, what was then called the Illuminated Water Parade was held again. The boats were judged, and prizes were awarded for the best-decorated and most spectacularly lit vessels. A larger parade followed in 1914, and by 1915, as many as forty launches, canoes, and rowboats participated in the celebration.

Unfortunately, World War I erupted, and a severe depression hit Newport Harbor. No parades were held until 1919, when Beek, who was operating ferry boats at the time, revived the lighted boat parade. With the exception of several years during World War II, the Tournament of Lights was held every summer from 1919 through 1949. However, in 1949, city officials believed the light parade was attracting too many visitors to the harbor, creating significant crowding and traffic congestion. As a result, the Tournament of Lights fell out of favor.

Fortunately, back in 1946, Newport Beach City employees had outfitted a barge during the holiday season and installed a lighted Christmas tree. The barge was towed around the harbor while its passengers sang Christmas carols to residents on shore.

In later years, the Beek family stepped in again, providing one of their ferryboats for the floating Christmas tree celebration. Gradually, other lighted boats joined the city employees’ floating tree each year. Eventually, the Tournament of Lights was revived as a Christmas celebration. Today, the Tournament of Lights, now called the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, features as many as 100 boats.

The first time we went to see the Boat Parade was in 2018, and we went a few more times over the next few years. The parade is held every year in December for 5 nights, but the dates vary. You can check the dates online in early December. The parade has a predetermined route, and the organizer will post a map and the passing time of several major points on the Internet so that people can plan their itinerary in advance.

紐波特海灘 (Newport Beach) 聖誕遊艇遊行是南加州首屈一指的聖誕活動。它始於 1907 年，由義大利船夫約翰·斯卡帕 (John Scarpa) 和巴爾博亞渡輪線 (Balboa Ferry Line) 的開發商老板約瑟夫·比克 (Joseph Beek) 創立。斯卡帕開創了點燈船的傳統，帶領一群來自帕薩迪納 (Pasadena) 的遊客乘坐裝飾有日本燈籠的鳳尾船 (gondola) 穿過海灣。一年後，即 1908 年，舉行了第一次燈船遊行，這遊行隊伍由斯卡帕的鳳尾船帶頭，在日本燈籠的照耀下，後面跟著八艘獨木舟。

1913 年再次舉行了當時被稱為「燈光水上遊行」的活動。這些船隻會被評審，裝飾最好、燈光最絢麗的船隻可得獎。1914 年也有較大規模的遊行，在 1915 年更有多達 40 艘汽艇、獨木舟和划艇參加了慶祝活動。

不幸的是，第一次世界大戰爆發，嚴重的蕭條襲擊了紐波特港。燈船遊行停辦了，直到 1919 年，當時經營渡船的比克重新恢復了燈船遊行。除第二次世界大戰期間的幾年外，燈光錦標賽從 1919 年到 1949 年每年夏天都會舉行。然而在 1949 年，市政府官員認為燈船遊行吸引了太多遊客來到港口，造成嚴重的擁擠和交通擁堵。結果燈光錦標賽便失寵了。

所幸的是，在 1946 年紐波特海灘城的員工在聖誕節日期間裝備了一艘大型平底船，其上安裝了一棵點亮的聖誕樹。這艘船會在港口周圍被拖繞著，讓船上的人向岸上的居民唱聖誕頌歌。

幾年後，比克一家又再次介入，加入一艘渡輪，一起參與浮動聖誕樹的慶祝活動。漸漸地每年都有其他點燈船加入城市員工的浮動聖誕樹活動。最終，燈光錦標賽作為聖誕節慶祝活動得以恢復。如今，燈光錦標賽（現稱為紐波特海灘聖誕遊艇遊行）有多達 100 艘船參加。

我們第一次去看遊艇遊行是在 2018 年，之後幾年又去看了幾次。每年遊行都在 12 月舉行，大概會有 5 個晚上，但是日期會變動，在12月初可上網查詢日期。遊行有預定的路線，舉辦單位會在網路上刊登地圖以及幾個大點遊艇經過的時間，讓人能預先計劃行程。