Eastern Wharf kicks off the holiday along with the Savannah Boat Parade of Lights
For more 20 years, the Savannah Boat Parade of Lights has marked the beginning of the holiday season in bright style. The parade recently relocated its launch point to the docks in front of Eastern Wharf, so this year they are making sure that The Park at Eastern Wharf is the best spot for families to enjoy the festivities.
“Last year we did a smaller event just to support it and have things going on for people coming to the boat parade,” said Kayne Lanahan, executive director of the Park at Eastern Wharf. “It went so well, this year we decided to make it a much bigger event for the community and bring in the Fabulous Equinox Orchestra and Santa Claus.”
The free and family-friendly event begins with the lighting of the Christmas trees and the arrival of Santa Claus, who will be available for photos from 5-7 p.m.
The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra will be entertaining attendees throughout the evening with their signature “Savannah Sound” big band music. Expect to hear some holiday favorites alongside TheBeatles, Broadway, Motown, Gospel, and selections from the Great American Songbook.
Eastern Wharf bars, restaurants, and retailers will be getting into the holiday spirit, including the grand opening of the Thompson Savannah Holiday Bar, located on the second floor of the hotel and featuring special holiday cocktails.
Besides Squirrel’s Pizza and Honeysuckle Gelato, there will be plenty of food truck options including The Naked Dog, Pie Society, and Jonny Boy Cookies.
Syd Nicole Fashion and Flowers will have fresh bouquets, holiday gifts, and their incredibly popular flower crowns.
“They’re doing these fun flower reindeer crowns that people can pre-order online, or they’ll also have them for sale at the event,” said Lanahan. “We did a similar thing for the Fourth of July and they sold out of the crowns really quickly. It’s just a fun thing for people to get in the holiday spirit.”
Attendees are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs, as well as their own beverages, as long as they fit in a small, personal cooler.
In Bloom: Interested in the art and design of flower arranging? Check out this Eastern Wharf shop
Stretching: Savannah-based holistic, eco-conscious yoga studio expands offerings to Eastern Wharf
“They’re technically two separate events,” Lanahan said of the holiday kickoff and the boat parade, “but as Eastern Wharf, we’re there to support them and help them keep this going, just because it’s such a great Savannah tradition.”
It’s a tradition that almost went away. The Savannah Harbor Foundation, which ran the Boat Parade of Lights, found themselves short staffed and unable to continue organizing the event. That was when Delylah Thompson and Savannah Calla stepped in to help.
“This will be the 22nd year that the parade has gone on, and for the last nine years my husband and I helped out,” said Thompson, chairperson for the Boat Parade of Lights. “He’d help on the dock and I’d do registration, but never more than that.”
Thompson and her husband offered to form a committee to help keep the boat parade tradition alive.
“The committee turned out to be just me and my husband and it was a lot more work than I expected, but this year I started a non-profit, so now we have completely taken over the parade,” said Thompson. “When I took it on, I’d never been involved with any of the planning. I don’t have any background in event planning, I didn’t know where to start, what to do, who to contact. I reached out to as many people as I could. I just ran with whatever I could get and we did pretty well last year.”
Last year’s Boat Parade of Lights had nearly 30 boats participate and raised nearly $9,000 for the Greenbriar Children Center, a charitable organization close to Thompson’s heart.
Founded in 1949, The Greenbriar Children’s Center provides childcare, accredited and affordable early learning programs (including Georgia-PreK), family preservation and counseling services as well as an emergency shelter for children and young adults.
This year’s Boat Parade of Lights includes several participating organizations that work with special needs children including Buddies and Blessings, which will help hand out Christmas ornaments to children, and Pegasus Riding Academy, which has a boat in the parade.
The American Legion riders are escorting families from Greenbriar Children’s Center, as well as holding a raffle to raise funds for the organization.
“We’re always anxious to have donations because this is a fundraiser that benefits Greenbriar Children’s Center,” said Thompson. “We’ve had some generous donations, but we’re always looking for more.”
The parade of brightly decorated boats, led by the Georgia Queen Riverboat, will launch from Eastern Wharf at 7 p.m. and do two circuits up and down the river before finishing back at Eastern Wharf where they will be evaluated by a panel of judges. Mayor Van Johnson is giving a welcome speech, and the day has been official designated Savannah Boat Parade of Lights Day.
“I know it’s a tradition of many families,” said Thompson. “I have friends who grew up here and went with their families as children, and now take their kids to see the parade.”
If You Go >>
What: Eastern Wharf Holiday Kickoff
When: 5-9 p.m., Nov. 25
Where: The Park at Eastern Wharf, 101 Port St.
Cost: Free
Info: savannahboatparadeoflights.com
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: 22nd annual Savannah Boat Parade of Lights sets sail from Eastern Wharf
