Residents "do understand the number of boats that have participated over the years have been dwindling to some degree." Gene Folden, chairman of the city's Marine Advisory Board, said that to The Coastal Star in December 2024, when Boca Raton ended the holiday boat parade it had held every year since 1975.
Two seasons later, Boca's holiday calendar takes place entirely on land: Mizner Park, Federal Highway, Sanborn Square, and a few community centers west of I-95. The boats still run on the Intracoastal, but north and south of the city line. In 2026, both neighboring parades fall on Friday, December 11.
How Boca's Boats Ended Up in Other Cities' Parades
The reason Boca's parade ended points to where its audience went. A city spokeswoman told The Coastal Star that participation kept falling even as promotion increased. She tied part of the decline to the neighbors. Delray Beach and Boynton Beach merged their boat parades in 2016, and Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach had combined theirs years earlier. Those bigger events drew both boaters and spectators. Boca's parade had already been washed out once: the year before it ended, the parade was canceled for severe weather warnings on the night of Dec. 16 and never rescheduled.
The city moved its holiday effort onto land. In the same 2024 report, it added a Holiday POPS concert at Mizner Park Amphitheater and expanded its Merry in Mizner pop-ups. The 2025 and 2026 lineups kept that approach and added no boats.
The Land Version, Downtown
The downtown events are familiar, but nearly every date moved a day earlier this year, and Holiday POPS changed more than its date.
| Event | 2025 | 2026 | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holiday Tree Lighting, Mizner Park Amphitheater | Sat., Nov. 22 | Sat., Nov. 21 | One day earlier; still free |
| Holiday Street Parade, Federal Highway | Wed., Dec. 3 | Wed., Dec. 2 | 54th edition, "Boca by the Beach" theme, a proposed one-mile run beforehand |
| Holiday POPS, Mizner Park Amphitheater | Sat., Dec. 6 | Sat., Dec. 5 | New conductor and choirs, new ticket range, added children's pre-show |
The tree lighting runs 6 to 10 p.m. on November 21 at 590 Plaza Real, and the tree is lit at 7:30. The evening includes live music, a craft station, a holiday market, Santa photos and the park's LED light display. Food and drinks are for sale.
The Holiday Street Parade runs 7:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2. The city says it is preparing more than 60 floats, marching bands and dance groups. Barricades line the route, and street sweepers move in right behind the last float so the road can reopen. Before the parade, the city has proposed a family Boca Holiday Mile Run with the Boca Raton Police Athletic League and says details are coming.
Holiday POPS with The Symphonia changed the most. In 2026, John Devlin conducts, with the FAU Chamber Singers and Schola Cantorum of Florida. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the concert starts at 7. Tickets are reported at $25 to $60, up from a $15 starting price in 2025. The new POPS Pop-Up, included with admission, brings Nutcracker characters, cookie decorating and glitter tattoos before the music starts.
Merry in Mizner pop-ups return on several December dates. They are free, with performances, photo spots and holiday treats. On Thursday, December 10, Sanborn Square hosts a City Night Market from 6 to 9 p.m. with local makers, live music, food vendors and a mobile bar. FAU Tuba Christmas follows on Sunday, December 13, at 5 p.m. at the amphitheater. It is free and played on tubas and euphoniums.
The Land Version, Closer to Jog Road
For west Boca, a good share of the season happens much closer to home than Federal Highway.
The Shops at Boca Center, 5150 Town Center Circle, holds its Holiday Kick-Off on Friday, November 20, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. This year the center replaced its stage with a dance floor and a live DJ and added LED dancing robots and holiday craft stations. Santa photos cost $10 per child, and the proceeds go to the Boca Raton Toy Drive.
The city's Boca Jolly Days program places several family events at Spanish River Library and Sugar Sand Park:
- Thursday, Dec. 10, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: A free Winter Family Movie Night showing "Frozen" at Spanish River Library. Registration is offered and drop-ins are welcome. It overlaps the Sanborn Square Night Market, so families who want both will have to pick one that evening.
- Tuesday, Dec. 22, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.: A DIY holiday gift workshop for ages 5 and up at the Sugar Sand Park Community Center, $12 per resident child and $15 nonresident. Walk-ups are accepted while supplies last.
- Tuesday, Dec. 22, 3:30 and 5 p.m. sessions: Winter Wonderland in the Children's Science Explorium Chickee Lab, $10 per resident child and $12.50 nonresident, with one adult free. Advance registration is required.
The Boca Raton History Museum holds its Museum Store Sunday Sip & Shop on November 29, with 15% off store purchases, pop-up brands, children's crafts and free admission. The Wick Theatre lists "Oliver!" from November 19 through December 20.
December 11: Two Parades, Same Start Time
All of that takes place on land. Anyone who wants holiday boats on the water has to leave the city, and this year both neighboring parades start at 6 p.m. on Friday, December 11. Each one has its own logistics.
| Delray–Boynton Holiday Boat Parade | Greater Pompano Beach Holiday Boat Parade | |
|---|---|---|
| Direction from Boca | North | South |
| Start | 6 p.m. listing; boats head south from Lantana around 6:30 | 6 p.m. |
| Route | Lantana through Boynton Beach to the C-15 Canal, south of Linton Boulevard | Intracoastal Waterway |
| Free official viewing | Deck 84, Veterans Park, Knowles Park, Boynton Harbor Marina | Not listed |
| Paid viewing | Waterfront restaurants along the route | Chamber VIP party at The Cove Waterfront & Tiki Bar, $100 per person |
| Organizer | Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and partner towns | Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce |
| Edition | Annual | 64th |
Going north
The City of Delray Beach lists four official watch spots. In Delray, they are Deck 84 at 840 E. Atlantic Ave., Veterans Park at 802 N.E. 1st St., and Knowles Park at 1001 S. Federal Hwy. In Boynton, the official spot is Boynton Harbor Marina at 735 Casa Loma Blvd. Guests are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. The Palm Beaches tourism listing puts the start at the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Lantana. It adds Intracoastal Park, Jaycee Park and Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park as viewing spots and names Two Georges, Banana Boat, Prime Catch, Old Key Lime House, Del Fuego and Deck 84 for waterfront dinners.
The Delray drawbridges help with timing. They stay raised while the boats pass, and the city's estimates, based on earlier years, run in this order:
- George Bush Boulevard, about 7:45 p.m.
- Atlantic Avenue, about 8:00 p.m.
- Linton Boulevard, about 8:15 p.m.
That works in both directions. A table at Deck 84 sees the boats near the Atlantic Avenue estimate, almost two hours after the 6 p.m. listing. A driver crossing to the barrier island that evening may wait at a raised span.
Going south
The City of Pompano Beach lists the Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce parade from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on the Intracoastal. The Chamber's event page lists 6 to 10 p.m. and offers a VIP party at The Cove Waterfront & Tiki Bar, 1754 SE 3rd Ct. in Deerfield Beach, at $100 per person.
Boca's One Waterside Evening
Boca's closest thing to a night on the water is at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Gumbo Limbo Aglow runs 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, December 12, 19 and 26, with glowing aquariums, refreshments, crafts, yard games and photos with the sea turtle mascot. Advance registration is required. December 12, the night after the boat parades, is the least expensive date: $8 for residents, $10 for nonresidents and $15 for walk-ins. The December 19 and 26 evenings cost $10 for residents, $13 for nonresidents and $20 for walk-ins when space allows.
At The Boca Raton, the resort's Christmas Tree Lighting on November 28 and Hanukkah Menorah Lighting on December 6 are open only to club members and resort guests.
The Season in Date Order
- Nov. 19 to Dec. 20: "Oliver!" at The Wick Theatre
- Fri., Nov. 20: Holiday Kick-Off at The Shops at Boca Center, 5:30 p.m.
- Sat., Nov. 21: Holiday Tree Lighting at Mizner Park Amphitheater, ceremony at 7:30 p.m.
- Sun., Nov. 29: Museum Store Sunday Sip & Shop at the Boca Raton History Museum
- Wed., Dec. 2: 54th Holiday Street Parade on Federal Highway, 7:30 p.m.
- Sat., Dec. 5: Holiday POPS at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 7 p.m.
- Thu., Dec. 10: City Night Market at Sanborn Square, plus "Frozen" at Spanish River Library
- Fri., Dec. 11: Delray–Boynton and Greater Pompano boat parades, both at 6 p.m.
- Sat., Dec. 12, 19 and 26: Gumbo Limbo Aglow, 6 p.m.
- Sun., Dec. 13: FAU Tuba Christmas at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 5 p.m.
- Tue., Dec. 22: Sugar Sand Park gift workshop and Explorium Winter Wonderland
Each December, friends and family visit Broken Sound and want to see how the season looks from here. If someone at your table is starting to picture a winter of their own in Boca, The De Marzo Luxury Group would be glad to show them around. Request a Private Tour & Community Introduction, and we will plan it around the evenings already on your calendar.
