"The parade takes about an hour to pass any given point." That line comes from the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights schedule page. It's useful planning information, and it shows how short the parade itself is. About 80 decorated boats leave Shelter Island at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 13, and again on Sunday, December 20, and pass any one spot in roughly an hour.
On the Columbia District waterfront, that hour falls in the middle of a longer evening. On parade nights, the stretch of North Harbor Drive between the Maritime Museum and Navy Pier has a craft fair, a lights show on an aircraft carrier and a narrated section of the route. All of it runs before, during and after the boats. If you live a few blocks from the Embarcadero, plan the whole day.
The Narrated Stretch Starts at the Star of India
The parade's theme for its 56th year is "Liberty Lights the Bay – Cheers to 250 Years." The boats leave Shelter Island, go past Harbor Island and then come down your stretch of the bay. The organizer's route passes west of the ferry Berkeley and the Star of India, follows the Embarcadero to the G Street Mole, and continues past Seaport Village and the Marriott Hotel and Marina. From there it goes to the pier at Chicano Park, crosses to Coronado and ends near the Ferry Landing.
There are two announcer stations along the route. One is at Coronado Landing. The other is at the Maritime Museum on the Embarcadero, a short walk from most Columbia District towers. The announcers give a short history and description of each boat as it passes. That's most useful for people who will be on the shore both nights. The first Sunday can be for the lights. The second can be for standing near the museum and hearing who built which boat.
Watching from shore is free. The organizer says the event draws more than 100,000 people to the bay each year. The suggested viewing areas include both the north and south Embarcadero, the park behind Seaport Village and the pier at Cesar Chavez Park. Because of traffic and parking demand, the organizer encourages people to plan ahead or take the trolley. It also warns that parking on Harbor Island is limited. People who live within walking distance don't have to deal with any of that.
Sunday, December 13, Starts on Broadway Pier at 10 A.M.
The first parade night overlaps with the second day of the Makers Arcade Holiday Fair at Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, 1000 N. Harbor Drive. The fair runs Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with more than 150 local artists, makers and small businesses, plus live music, food and drinks. The Port of San Diego's event listing adds food trucks, cocktail, mocktail and beer bars, kids' activities, and free make-and-take craft stations, including a fresh holiday wreath station. Ticket sales support a local 501(c)(3) arts nonprofit.
The fair closes at 5 p.m. on Sunday, but the pier stays open after that. Makers Arcade is holding a Parade of Lights viewing on the pier from 5 to 7:45 p.m. that night. The boats leave Shelter Island at 5:30 and go past Harbor Island before they reach the Embarcadero. So the viewing window starts before the parade does and covers the time it takes the boats to reach the pier. Someone who comes for the fair in the afternoon can stay on the pier through dark.
Here's what that Sunday looks like on Broadway Pier:
- 10 a.m. Makers Arcade Holiday Fair opens at Port Pavilion.
- 5 p.m. The fair closes, and the Parade of Lights viewing on the pier begins.
- 5:30 p.m. The parade leaves Shelter Island.
- 7:45 p.m. The pier viewing ends.
General admission is $5 presale or $6 at the door. A second ticket tier costs $10 presale or $12 at the door, and children under 10 get in free.
The Midway's Lights Run on Both Parade Nights
Just south of Broadway Pier, the USS Midway Museum is running Jingle Jets on selected nights from November 27 to December 30. Hours are 5:30 to 9 p.m., with last entry at 7:30. The event has more than a million lights, a holiday model-train display, carolers, games, a scavenger hunt, a VR ride and Santa. Both parade Sundays are on the schedule, and so is the Saturday of the Makers Arcade fair.
Dated tickets cost $30 for adults and $20 for youth. Any-date tickets cost $40 and $30. Children three and under get in free, and Midway members get 20% off. A Jingle Jets ticket doesn't include the Midway's separate members-only Parade of Lights event, and tickets for that event go on sale in November. If you want to watch the boats from the carrier, sign up for that event separately.
Dog owners have two dates. November 29 and December 5 are Bring Your Dog Nights. Both fall before the first parade, so they're easier to fit in before December's busiest weekends.
Mid-December, Night by Night
From December 12 through December 20, the events at Broadway Pier, the Star of India and the Midway overlap on several nights. This table lists the waterfront events for each date.
| Date | Broadway Pier | Maritime Museum / Star of India | USS Midway | On the Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Makers Arcade fair, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. | Jingle Jets, 5:30–9 p.m. | ||
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Fair 10 a.m.–5 p.m., parade viewing 5–7:45 p.m. | Announcer station | Jingle Jets, 5:30–9 p.m. | Parade of Lights from 5:30 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Jingle Jets, 5:30–9 p.m. | |||
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Holiday concert aboard the Star of India, 7:30–10 p.m. | Jingle Jets, 5:30–9 p.m. | ||
| Sun., Dec. 20 | Announcer station | Jingle Jets, 5:30–9 p.m. | Parade of Lights from 5:30 p.m. |
The Saturday before the second parade has one of the season's smaller events. Tim Flannery & The Lunatic Fringe are playing a holiday concert aboard the Star of India on December 19 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The show is 21 and over. General admission is $65 and VIP is $99, with fees included. VIP boarding starts at 6 p.m. and general admission boarding at 7, and a no-host bar runs from 6 to 10 p.m. The Maritime Museum's event page has the details. The next evening, the parade boats pass that same ship.
Before December, Two Events on the Same Waterfront
Two November events come before the holiday season on this waterfront. On Wednesday, November 11, the San Diego Veterans Day Parade runs on Harbor Drive in front of the County Administration Building from 10 to 11:30 a.m. This year's theme honors Operation Desert Storm veterans. The USS Midway Museum's listing has the details. That stretch of Harbor Drive is a short walk from Waterfront Park, and expect the street to be busy that morning.
This weekend, the 22nd annual San Diego Food + Wine Festival closes with its Grand Tasting on Saturday, November 7, and its Grand Fiesta on Sunday, November 8. Both are at Embarcadero Marina Park North, south of Columbia District near the Marina District. It's a short walk south along the bay from Columbia District.
Waterfront Park, which hosted CRSSD this fall, is covered in our earlier post on the park's festival weekends. The events this season are spread along the bay instead: on the piers, on the Star of India and on the Midway's flight deck.
Dinner After the Pier Closes
On December 13, the pier viewing ends at 7:45 p.m. If you want dinner without driving anywhere, Broadway leads inland from the pier to Zuma, which opened on August 10 at the Guild Hotel, 500 W. Broadway. Eater San Diego describes it as a 250-seat Japanese izakaya and reports that it's the brand's first California location. With parade crowds along the bay, a large dining room close to home helps. Book ahead for both Sundays.
For more on everyday life in the neighborhood, see our Columbia District neighborhood page and our post on how Columbia District got its grocery store.
If you've ever wondered which Columbia District buildings look straight down Harbor Drive at Broadway Pier and the Star of India, building-level detail like that is our specialty. Denny Oh & Associates can walk you through which towers, floors and orientations face the parade route. Contact Us when you'd like to talk it through.
