The parade starts just north of the Albee Road bridge. There are public viewing areas on the Gulf side of the waterway and restaurants opposite, as well as near the Historic Train Depot and along the Venetian Waterway Park trail. The parade continues down the Intracoastal and out to the channel marker in the jetties, weather permitting, before turning around. Viewing is available on both sides of the jetties in this area. If you are coming by boat there are plenty of spots along the way to drop anchor (please refrain from parking in the parade route). As the parade continues south there are miles of public viewing on both sides of the Intracoastal. Parade turn-around is before the Circus Bridge.
Remember to get there early. If you are new to the area, take a look a few days before the parade for that special spot; there are no bad locations. Remember for Venice island, when the 2 north bridges go up, the Circus Bridge remains down for vehicular traffic only. This remains in effect until such time that the 2 north bridges are reopened to vehicular traffic.
A couple reminders about early chair setup and parking restrictions in the Marina Park & Boat Ramp area (near the Historic Train Depot):
No early setup of chairs and blankets by spectators prior to 5 p.m. in the red zones pictured in the below graphic.
No parking before 5 p.m. along the entrance and exit to Marina Park, highlighted in red in the below graphic.
Please help make the parade a smooth-running event for the event organizer and boat captains participating! Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
A reminder that unlike the downtown Holiday Parade this past Saturday on Nov. 25, citizens are NOT encouraged to set up chairs, blankets or other items in other viewing locations along the Boat Parade route prior to this Saturday, Dec. 2. Sarasota County and the City of Venice are not responsible for items left unattended before, during or after the Boat Parade.
For additional information, please visit venicechristmasboatparade.net. You can also contact event organizer Joe Zgrzepski at [email protected]