Newport Beach kicks off its 116th annual Boat Parade
The joy of the holidays lit up both the sky and water in Orange County as Newport Beach kicked off its annual Boat Parade Wednesday.
For 116 years, crowds have packed the harbor to watch the nearly 100 boats — decked out in lights, ornaments and festive decorations — float along the coastline from Wednesday to Sunday.
"Our friends and family come every year and now we have kids," attendee Allison Paleo said.
The grand marshal for the first night of the parade was Newport Beach native and filmmaker McG, whose real name is Joseph McGinty Nichol.
"It's obviously a point of pride for Newport Beach but it's more than that because people enjoy it across the Southland and come from miles around," he said.
The city hopes 1 million people will stop by the parade by Sunday. The parade will start at 6:30 p.m. every day between Dec. 18 and 22.
"It's really something that helps our restaurants, our hotels," spectator Gary Sherwin said. "Now, we're really becoming the Christmas capital of Southern California.
The 14-mile course in Newport Harbor has more than 53 viewing locations on the waterfront, including Balboa Peninsula, parks and more than a dozen restaurants. Opening and closing nights will include a special fireworks display. Each night will have a different grand marshal.
--
The second night of the Newport Beach Boat Parade will be aired on KCAL News and streaming on CBS News Los Angeles from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pat Harvey and Suzie Suh will anchor the special with Dani Ruberti while KCAL's Orange County reporter Michele Gile will be live at the parade.
