Huntington Harbour's December Lights Start With a Form Due November 30

"Unlike many other boat parades, the Huntington Harbour Boat Parade is not produced or managed by a marina company, City, or Chamber of Commerce. It is an entirely volunteer effort."

That line comes from the Huntington Harbour Boat Parade organizers. It explains more about December on the water than any list of dates. The all-volunteer Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee runs the parade, and the committee describes it as its way of saying "thank you" to Harbour residents for decorating their homes. A week later, the committee sells tickets for narrated boat tours past those same decorated homes. That's the Cruise of Lights, and the committee calls it its main funding project for youth music education.

So the free event and the ticketed event share the same scenery, and the residents supply it. Every date on the Harbour's December calendar follows from that.

The Season Opens With Paperwork

The first date isn't the parade. The 2026 Boat & Home Entry Form sets two deadlines:

1. Home entries are due Monday, November 30.
2. Boat entries are due Tuesday, December 1.

Homes can enter individually or as a group, in three classes: waterfront, off-water, or condo/townhome. That last class matters. Your home doesn't need a private dock to compete, and a whole street or building can enter together.

Awards cover more than the brightest display on the main channel. The form lists categories for waterfront and off-water homes, plus separate awards for waterfront condos and townhomes:

• Sweepstakes
• Theme
• Beauty
• Judges' Special
• Holiday
• People's Choice
• Religious

What Entering a Home Actually Commits You To

The home-entry agreement is short, and it shows how the season is built. Entrants agree to keep their decorations lit on both parade nights and through the holidays, as part of the committee's fundraising for children's music education, "so we carry on the spirit of the Cruise of Lights®."

The parade is two nights. The commitment lasts the whole season. A decorated home earns its thank-you during parade weekend, then keeps working as part of the route that paying passengers see the following week. A strand of lights on a Harbour dock serves both the free event and the fundraiser.

The 2026 theme gives decorators a direction: "America 250 Music / To The Moon & Back." This year's grand marshal is Norman Huniu. The theme names music, and the cruise funds music education.

Parade Weekend, Seen From the Sand

The 64th annual parade runs Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13. The organizers say it goes on rain or shine.

Watching it takes more planning than entering it. The organizers say the public viewing areas at the beaches fill up quickly and that parking is very limited. The Harbour's public beach parks on the city's parks and facilities page include Davenport Beach Park, Humboldt Beach Park, Seabridge Beach Park and Trinidad Beach Park.

The organizers suggest another option: "One of the best ways to see it is to be in it by entering your boat!" Boats have their own December 1 deadline, which is one day after the home deadline.

To follow the boats in real time, the organizers link to a live parade route tracker. Their homepage also advertises a live broadcast at 6 p.m. The tracker shows where the fleet is without a drive across the Harbour to look.

A Week Later, the Same Lights Become a Ticketed Tour

Once the parade boats are back at their slips, the decorated homes become the show. The Cruise of Lights® offers narrated boat tours through the Harbour's waterways for five nights.

Children under 2 ride free with a paid adult ticket. Monday the 21st is the one lower-priced night. For a household buying several tickets, that $2-per-ticket difference adds up, and the departures and homes are the same.

Where the Ticket Money Goes

The Huntington Harbour Philharmonic Committee supports the youth programs of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, and it names the Cruise of Lights as its main funding project.

The Philharmonic Society's education page describes its Youth Music Education Programs as free to Orange County schools. It lists programs including Music Mobile, California Journeys, Concerts for Fifth Grade, Sounds Around the Globe, Ensembles On Tour, the Orange County Youth Symphony and String Ensemble, Strike Up The Band, and Musical Reinvestments.

So each lit dock does several jobs. It earns the parade's thank-you, keeps the agreement in the entry form, and fills the window view a paying passenger bought a ticket for. Those ticket sales help keep school music programs free.

Boarding Night, Step by Step

Riders start in the rear parking lot behind Trader Joe's at Huntington Harbour Mall, 16889 Algonquin Street, where will call is also located. The FAQ says to look for "the crowd and buses." From there, a five-minute shuttle bus runs to the Huntington Harbour Yacht Club, where the boats board.

The rest of the Cruise of Lights FAQ covers the practical details:

• Tickets: Printed and digital tickets both work as boarding passes. Phone orders placed at least seven days before your cruise date are mailed. Later orders are held at will call.
• Clothing: Layer up and wear solid shoes, because nights on the water can be cold.
• Food and drink: Drinks and snacks are sold on the boats.
• Restrooms: Restrooms are in the parking lots. They aren't guaranteed on the boats.
• Accessibility: The boats are wheelchair accessible, but power chairs aren't allowed. Holders of a California Disabled Person Parking Placard can skip the shuttle and go straight to the Huntington Harbour Yacht Club, 3821 Warner Ave. Parking there is reserved for placard holders.
• Weather: Cruises aren't canceled for rain.

For help with a ticket purchase, the committee lists its Huntington Harbour office at 714-840-7542 and the email [email protected].

Before the Shuttle and After the Boat

Since the evening starts in a shopping center parking lot, dinner can happen nearby. The Huntington Harbour Mall directory lists The AoSA Coffee, A Slice of New York Pizza, D&N Donut, Great Wok Restaurant, Harbour Rackhouse, Red Table, Tabu Shabu and Vegi Oasis, along with Trader Joe's, the landmark for will call.

Across the Harbour, the Peter's Landing directory lists Golden Road Brewing, Himalayan Grill, Pelican Isle, PHO MAY and Starbucks among its dining tenants.

A 5:30 p.m. departure leaves time for dinner afterward. A 7:30 p.m. departure suits an early meal near the mall, then a short walk to the shuttle line.

The Other Set of Holiday Lights in Town

Huntington Beach has a second lit landmark this season, and it's paid for differently. The Huntington Beach Pier started using a new colored-lighting system in May 2026. Visit Huntington Beach funded it in full, and the system lets the pier mark community moments like holidays and events. Down the beach, the Kimpton Shorebreak Resort's '80s-themed pop-up bar, Pier Summit Ski Lodge, runs through January 2. Downtown, the Surf City Artisan Fair has weekend dates through November and December. The district notes that dates are weather permitting and may change.

The pier's lights come from one organization's budget. The Harbour's lights come from separate households, each agreeing to keep its displays on from parade weekend through the holidays. The organizers say it plainly: "No act of generosity is too small to make a difference." Home entries for the 64th parade close Monday, November 30.

At Ballesteros Group, we pay attention to traditions like this one, where neighbors create something the whole coast comes to see. If you're thinking about a Harbour home where the dock lights up each December, or you want to talk through what makes these waterfront streets distinctive, Let's Connect.