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Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s 51st Annual Winterfest Boat Parade

Every year since 1971, South Florida rings in the Christmas season with the annual Winterfest Boat Parade hosted by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. This year was no different except for the theme. Thousands of people lined the waterway to watch the variety of vessels sail by decorated in the newest neon nightlife under the sea themes while others stuck to some traditional décor. The Best Show on H2O did not let anyone down when it came to this year’s annual boat parade. This year marked the fifty-first (51st) year of this parade and it seems like every year that goes by gives us more and more to look forward to. Whether this was your first time seeing this parade in person or if this is an annual tradition with your friends and family, this is an event that no one should ever miss out on. While it may be better to see this parade in person, you can watch this parade on television or online. If you missed it in person, do not worry. There are going to be more options for you to see this year’s spectacular Winterfest Boat Parade.

This year’s Winterfest boat parade was held on December 10th from 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. This year’s viewing area was at the Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park located at 3000 East Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33316. Here, thousands of spectators gathered to enjoy the live music, good food, great company, and the many motorized and non-motorized vessels that showcased their Christmas spirit. The staging area started at The New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale and then moved east to the Intracoastal Waterway and then moved north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Gates opened up at 4:00 p.m. and the festivities started for everyone that was their to enjoy them. Live music was provided by the Shane Duncan Band as well as Southern Blood. Radio personalities were also on hand. Drew from Y-100 was there and so was Amelia from BIG1059. Both hosted for iHeart Radio for those that could not be in attendance and witness this spectacular event from the side of The New River located in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The parade started at 6:00 p.m. for the non-motorized vessels. Everyone deserved a shot to show their holiday spirit no matter what vessel they were on. These non-motorized vessels were followed by motorized vessels that started arriving on the scene at 6:30 p.m.

Participants in Winterfest Boat Parade

Participants in this year’s Winterfest Boat Parade came from all over to participate in this historic water event. It does not matter if you have been in this parade once or if this was your fifty-first time. There is literally something for everyone to see when it comes to the Winterfest Boat Parade in Fort Lauderdale. Whether you are a fan of loud music, bright lights, traditions, fireworks, or all of the above, there is spectacular sights and sounds for all to enjoy. You will not be disappointed with this year’s boat parade hosted by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. The United States Coast Guard were on hand in their helicopter to kick things off this year. The Florida Paddling Trails Association had three entries in the parade. Two jet skis were on deck as well. Aqua Flight Yacht Toys showcased their talents. All of these were in the preshow section of Winterfest. Starting off the parade was #1 United States Coast Guard aboard Hudson. #2 United States Coast Guard 45. #3 Kroger Delivery aboard the Winterfest Fireworks Barge. #4 Fort Lauderdale Fire Boat 49. #5 SLT Collection aboard Red Nose Rudolph – Speed Boat Canados. #6 Grand Marshal Showboat presented by Fifth Third Bank aboard South Beach Lady. #7 WSVN aboard Royal Princess. #8 RNDC aboard Caprice. #9 Twin Peaks aboard Sun Dream. #10 H-Proof aboard Summerwind. #12 USS Mobile Mike and Robinson’s Jewelers. #13 26’ Sailfish. #14 Dunn Deal. #15 Biscayne Bay Foundation. #16 Show Me the Mahi. #17 Honor Flight South Florida aboard Water Taxi. #18 B2 Ballyhoo. #19 Winterfest Junior Captain aboard Carrie B. powered by FPL moved by Two Men and a Truck. #20 Mr. Bobb. #21 Wellington Conservation Center aboard Musette. #22 Insight, HP, Intel, and Microsoft aboard Celebration. #23 Coastal Yacht Charters. #24 Felicity. #25 Sea Cadets aboard Archer. #26 Don’t Stop Believin’. #27 Water Taxi Riverwalk – Yellow Submarine. #28 Impact Health Sharing aboard Carry On. #29 I’m Going to Miss Her. #30 The Office. #32 Cruisin’ Tikis. #34 Tigirlily Gold aboard Sea Charm. #35 Tairon Aguilera aboard Annabelle. #37 Perfect Life. #38 Allcomm aboard Breakin’ Waves. #39 Florida Children’s Theater aboard Aqua View. #40 Ann Storck Center aboard Rocko. #41 Savior Faire. #42 The Naked Warrior Project aboard Bad Brad. #43 Romantic Venice. #44 Celsius aboard Catalina. #45 Miami VIP Yachts aboard Double Down. #46 Coral Ridge Yacht Club aboard Freedom. #48 Ricky Valido and the Hialeah Hillbillies aboard Black Pearl. #49 Heyca Square Pants. #50 Valentina. #52 Wake News. #53 12 Dinghies of Christmas with Sea Tow. #55 Top Gun. #56 The International Seakeepers Society aboard Rubber Duck. #57 Hip Hop Kidz Neon Nutcracker aboard Water Taxi Fiesta. #58 Freedom Waters aboard Water Taxi Island Expedition. #59 A-M-E Solutions aboard Water Taxi Island Adventure. #60 Fleet Advantage aboard White Star. #61 Kerst Lehmann and Black Tie Optional aboard Staying Afloat Party Boat. #62 Bluefoot Pirate Adventures. #63 Water Taxi Island Discovery with Winterfest Octopus. #64 Water Taxi Dale R with ACL Turquoise Takeover. #65 Carefree Boat Club aboard Marlin. #66 Reel Ambition. #67 Team Robles. #68 Aireze. #70 Salvation Army of Broward aboard Sally. #71 Admeral B. #72 Triple Care aboard Catch My Drift. #73 Chabad Lubavitch of Fort Lauderdale aboard Flamingo #74 Miss Pontoon. #76 Paris Princess. #77 Boat Party Fort Lauderdale. #80 Paddle Pub. #82 Knorrbie II, #85 Lady Diana. #86 Bout Time. #87 Tooned Out. #89 Slip ‘N Fall Steve. #92 Blue Biddie. #93 Broward College aboard Water Taxi Rio Vista. #95 The Rock. #96 T/T Sea Clef. #97 Keg Life. #98 Toys for Tots 75th Anniversary. #99 Unexpected Pleasure with The True Aquaman. #100 Santa Showboat delivered by Amazon on board Jungle Queen.

SFL Media Yacht in the Parade

Our boss, Patrick Zarrelli, as well as staff, friends, and family members of SFL Media were on hand for this year’s parade on board boat number 55. Top Gun was topped with the green, mean mugging machine that some just love to hate – The Grinch! Their yacht was decorated with bright lights along with the gigantic Grinch topper and did not disappoint with the music on board either. The staff celebrated their Christmas party with their family and friends and they were able to share their Christmas spirit with everyone on board as well as the numerous parade watchers that were in attendance this year.

How To View the Parade Now

Just in case you were not able to get to Winterfest Boat Parade in person, there are ways for you to see the parade now. The boat parade will be airing on television on channel WSVN 7 on December 17th at 9:00 p.m. If you miss this exciting event today at 9 p.m. on WSVN 7, you have two more chances to see it on this channel. This boat parade will air on December 25th at 11:00 a.m. and then again on January 1st at 12 a.m. according to the website. The Winterfest Boat Parade will also air on WHDH (7 News) on December 25th at 5:00 p.m. as well as WLVI (CW 56) on January 1st at 2:00 p.m. The Winterfest Boat Parade website also has a scheduled lineup listed to watch the parade on Bally Sports Florida SUN Channel starting on December 20th at 11:00 a.m. with plenty more options after it to watch this year’s boat parade. The parade will also be on Facebook for anyone to watch. You can find the parade by clicking this link here.

2022 Winterfest Boat Parade Overall Winners

Many people came out to watch the parade but many participated in The Best Show on H2O in Fort Lauderdale as well as Pompano Beach. Awards will be given out to the participants for many categories once the voting has finished. Until that time, here is the list of winners for the overall best in each of the categories. The overall winners have been chosen already for this year’s Winterfest Boat Parade sponsored by Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Without further ado, the winners are listed here. The Preshow award went to Aqua Flight. The Government category was won by U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Hudson. The barge award was won by Kroger Delivery aboard Fireworks Barge. The Sailboat category was won by Unexpected Pleasure. The Charter category 35’ to 45’ was won by Aqua View. The Charter category 60’ plus was won by Santa Showboat delivered by Amazon on board Jungle Queen. The Showboat 80’ plus category was won by Fifth Third Bank Grand Marshal Showboat. The Private boat category 20’ to 30’ was won by Sailfish that was 26’. The Private boat category 60’ plus was a tie! Don’t Stop Believin’ and Mr. Bobb both won. The Private boat category 80’ plus was won by Savoir Faire. The Non-Profit category 40’ was won by Sea Cadets on board Archer. The Non-Profit boat category 80’ plus was won by Triple Care on board Catch My Drift. Voting is still taking place as of right now. This is not a full list of all of the winners. That should be out later on tonight once the voting is tallied and added and made sure that every vote was counted. There will be no fraud in this vote count. (Smile)

How to Cast Your Vote for Your Favorite Boat

If you want to participate in the voting of this year’s Winterfest Boat parade then click on this link to vote for your favorite vessel. At the bottom of the page is where you will find the instruction as well as the entry form to submit your vote for your favorite vessel. You can vote one time a day until January 12, 2023. With your vote, you will also be entered into a contest to win roundtrip air travel for you and one of your lucky guests on the Jet Blue Airlines. You can vote online on the Winterfest Boat Parade website at the link above or you can simply send a text message to 1-844-675-0705. Your text message should say the word BOAT followed by the boat number or letter of the boat you want to vote for. Message and data rates may apply to your text message. An example of what your text message should look like is BOAT55. Make sure you get your votes in as soon as possible and do not forget to vote at least one time a day. Let’s get our favorite boats the recognition that they all deserve this holiday season. It does not matter which one you may choose because in our eyes, everyone is a winner that took the time out of their busy holiday schedules to grace us with their Christmas spirit. There were so many great choices for the awards. No one skimped out on decorations, lights, and sounds this year.

Judges of the Winterfest Boat Parade

The 2022 Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Winterfest Boat Parade Judges at The Stranahan House are seated from left to right: Christopher Krzemien of Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie REALTOR®, Paul Castronovo of iHeartMedia – News Anchor and On-air Personality, Dean Trantalis Mayor of the City of Fort Lauderdale, Rear Admiral Brendan C. McPherson of the United States Coast Guard – Sector 7, Stacy Ritter, President & CEO of Visit Fort Lauderdale, and Carolyn Michaels of Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce.

 

Watch the Parade Now on YouTube

If you were unable to attend this year’s festivities, you can catch the entire Winterfest Boat Parade here from the YouTube channel. The entire parade took about an hour and a half to complete so get your hot chocolate, hot totty, or favorite cocktail and put on your fuzzy pajamas, sweats or whatever you are the most comfortable in, curl up under your favorite blanket or sit with your feet in your heated pool, and prepare to be amazed and mesmerized by all of the enchanting lights and sounds that the 51st Annual Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Winterfest Boat Parade of 2022 has to offer you, your friends, and your family! The crew of SFL Media’s yacht can be seen starting at minute 24:16.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May 2023 be better than the one before! Cheers!!

 

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About The Author

Julie Nocito

Julie is a freelance writer from upstate New York who currently lives in central Florida. Julie has been writing freelance works since she was in 11th grade and still enjoys doing it. Julie is able to write anything for you whether it be blogs, web content, business reviews and more. She will do her research in order to give thorough and honest information.

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