The 32nd Annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade starts at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, 2026. It leaves North Palm Beach behind a Zambelli traveling fireworks display and runs north up the Intracoastal Waterway. The boats reach Jupiter at about 8 p.m., and the grand finale is at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse.
That timing makes Jupiter's night different from everyone else's on the route. Neighbors to the south watch the boats go by. Jupiter gets the end of the show, and the drawbridges at Indiantown Road and the Federal Highway open for it on the way in. When those two bridges go up decides when you should arrive, which side of the water you'll be on, and how easily you'll get home.
Two hours down the route, one hour here
The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County puts on the parade, with Safe Harbor as presenting sponsor. It goes ahead rain or shine. Boats are judged on lights, enthusiasm, and themed decor, so the boats people talk about afterward are the ones that went all in on a theme.
North Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, and Juno Beach all see the boats before Jupiter does. The public viewing sites start at North Palm Beach Country Club and Waterway Cafe near PGA Boulevard, then come up through Bert Winters Park and Juno Park before reaching Jupiter. Juno is the closer option if a 6 p.m. start sounds easier with young children than an 8 p.m. arrival.
If you'd like to follow the boats before they reach you, WPBF streams the parade live on the WPBF app and its Facebook page. With the stream, you can wait for the boats from a table at dinner instead of an hour on a seawall.
The drawbridges set Jupiter's evening
The organizers publish estimated opening times for each bridge, based on past parades. They also say plainly that weather, wind, tides, and currents make exact times impossible to predict.
| Bridge | Estimated opening on December 5 |
|---|---|
| Parker Bridge | Around 6:00 p.m. |
| PGA Bridge | Around 6:15 p.m. |
| Donald Ross Bridge | Around 7:00 p.m. |
| Indiantown Road Bridge | Around 7:30 p.m. |
| Jupiter Federal Bridge | Around 7:45 p.m. |
The parade's permits allow each bridge to stay open for up to one hour. If the Indiantown Road and Federal bridges both open near their estimated times and use the full hour, east-west crossings in central Jupiter could be blocked for much of the stretch between 7:30 and about 8:45. That's an estimate on top of an estimate, but it's a sensible way to plan.
In practice, the time to cross the water is before 7:30 p.m., not after. If you're having dinner on one side of the Intracoastal and watching from the other, cross early. The same goes for the drive home. A spot on the same side of the water as your house makes for an easy exit once the lighthouse finale is over.
Choosing a spot means choosing a side of the bridge
The organizers list these Jupiter locations as open-to-the-public viewing sites:
- Town and county parks: Sawfish Bay Park, Lighthouse Park, Waterway Park, and the Jupiter Riverwalk
- Waterfront dining and gathering spots: Harbourside Place, Charlie and Joe's at Love Street, Square Grouper Tiki Bar, Utiki, and Jetty's
Since you already know where each of these sits relative to Indiantown Road and the Federal Highway, the bridge table tells you when to show up. The farther north a spot sits along the route, the later the boats arrive. The lighthouse finale comes after the Federal bridge opens, so spots near the inlet get the end of the parade on the busiest part of the night.
The Riverwalk has one newer feature for this kind of evening. The Palm Beach Post reported that a pedestrian deck under the U.S. 1 bridge, connecting to the Riverwalk, opened in November 2025. People on foot can now pass under the Federal bridge along the Riverwalk while the bridge above is open for the boats.
Watching from the water has its own rules
If you have a boat, the organizers hope you'll enter it. Entry is free, and the parade gives away more than $10,000 in cash and prizes. The date to know is November 19. Boats registered by then are entered to win $500 and PBIBS Winward VIP passes, and the refundable $50 deposit is waived. Every registered boat is also entered to win $250, and first-year boats compete for Rookie of the Year. Best of Parade wins $500, plus another $500 if the owner is an MIAPBC Boater Member. Fan Favorite also wins $500. The 2026 boat entry application is on the parade page.
If you'd rather watch from your boat than join the parade, the organizers suggest Ski Beach or anywhere between Donald Ross Road and Indiantown Road where you won't block the route. They also warn that law enforcement will ask boats anchored in front of North Palm Beach Marina or North Palm Beach Country Club to move. The organizers expect the Donald Ross Bridge to open around 7 p.m. and the Indiantown Road Bridge around 7:30, so that stretch should see the parade before the lighthouse crowd does.
From your dock, a flashlight is all it takes to give
The parade doubles as a toy drive for Toys for Tots and Little Smiles of South Florida, and that matters most for homes on the water. A "toy fleet" of Tow Boat, Sea Tow, and volunteer boats travels the route and stops at docks for pickups. Look for a boat with a flashing amber beacon or Toys for Tots signs, and wave a flashlight. Uniformed Marines and volunteers will pull up to your dock to collect the gift.
The organizers' 2025 report counts 16,000 toys collected at the December 6, 2025 parade. Toys need to be new and unwrapped, and the parade page asks people heading to the lighthouse finale to bring one.
Little Smiles collection boxes go out at businesses in the weeks before and after the parade, and the drop-off finder on the parade page lists Jupiter locations. There's also a direct donation page for anyone who would rather skip the toy aisle.
The weekend around the parade
The parade is the middle of a fuller weekend this year, and the Friday event has moved away from where it used to be.
- Friday, December 4, 5:30 to 7 p.m. The Town's free Tree Lighting Ceremony is now at Jupiter Town Green, 210 Military Trail. The Town calls the Green the ceremony's "new home following recent construction at the Jupiter Municipal Campus." Parks and Recreation is at 561-741-2400 for questions.
- Saturday, December 5, 1 p.m. Just north, the Hobe Sound Chamber hosts its 40th Annual Christmas Parade. The early start leaves plenty of time to get back to Jupiter before the bridges begin opening.
- Saturday, December 5, about 8 p.m. The boat parade arrives in Jupiter, with the grand finale at the lighthouse.
- Saturday, December 12. The Town brings "There's 'Snow' Place like Jupiter" to Abacoa Community Park, which it describes as a hometown winter event. Check the Town's site closer to the date for times.
On Friday, the celebration is inland on Military Trail. On Saturday, the action shifts east to the water, and the Indiantown Road and Federal bridges decide how the night goes.
If you're having family in for parade weekend and want to talk through where to watch, or you're picturing a future December with a dock of your own and a flashlight ready for the toy fleet, The Kelly Team would love to help you plan it. Let's Connect.
