The Grand Daddy of Holiday Events Celebrates its 110th Anniversary - People | Places

Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade & Ring of Lights.

The illustrious Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade hits a benchmark. Article by Donna Bunce.

Hailed by The New York Times as one of the nation’s top 10 holiday happenings as well as being one of the longest-running holiday traditions in the country, the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is celebrating its 110^th anniversary this year. Attended and viewed by more than a million people makes it a hugely anticipated event. The good news is that it’s in our own backyard – or in Newport Harbor, to be exact.

History tells us there were some key figures who were important to the future boat parade. It began with William S. Collins, who dredged the harbor in 1906 to create Collins Island, Balboa Island and Little Balboa. The Pacific Electric Red Car Line transported people from Pasadena and Los Angeles to the newly-opened Balboa Pavilion beginning in 1906, where Collins was waiting to sell them lots from his new real estate. He relied on an intermittent ferry service to take visitors from the Pavilion to Balboa Island.

Italian gondolier John Scarpa began taking visitors in the summer of 1907 across the bay in a gondola decorated with Japanese lanterns. A year later, on July 4, 1908, the first lighted boat parade took place with Scarpa leading a group of eight canoes illuminated by Japanese lanterns. Larger parades followed from 1913 to 1915, with as many as 40 vessels participating before World Was I closed down the parade.

In 1919, Joseph Beek, who had relocated to Newport from Pasadena in 1914, developed Beacon Bay and was the principal force in developing Balboa Island after Collins faded from the picture. Beek signed a contract with the City of Newport Beach in 1919 for a formal ferry service to carry people from Balboa Peninsula to Balboa Island. His newly-created Balboa Island Ferry re-launched the tradition of lighting boats in the harbor in the summer of 1919. He called it the Tournament of Lights after the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

David Beek, grandson of Joseph Beek, who launched the Tournament of Lights in 1919, a precursor to the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade
The Sweepstakes trophy won by J.A. (Joseph) Beek on his boat, Vamos, in the 1930’s Tournament of Lights_Photo, courtesy of Balboa Island Museum archives

“And, the rest, as they say, is history,” says Joseph’sgrandson, David Beek. Today, the Balboa Island Ferry is still owned by the Beek family and run by Joseph’s son, Seymour Beek, while David runs the family-ownedIsland Marine Fuel on Balboa Island.

The Tournament of Lights grew in popularity over the years and was moved from summer to December, when in 1946 a group of Newport Beach city employees designed a holiday-inspired float on a barge, complete with a lighted Christmas tree and decorations. As the barge was towed around Newport Harbor, the employees sang Christmas carols to get spectators in the holiday spirit. The idea later morphed into what became known as the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, with Beek volunteering his ferry boats to lead the parade, each filled with a lighted Christmas tree, and the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce offering to host it to promote business.

The summer boat parade did not fade away. Eventually, it was renamed the Character Boat Parade, which later became the Old Glory Boat Parade, hosted by the American Legion Yacht Club. Every year, on July 4^th, the parade is greatly anticipated with a myriad of boats decked out in patriotic decor cruising Newport Harbor.

In the 1960s, The Commodores, a group of men (now women, too) from within the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, took on hosting duties for the parade. Awards for the best boats in different categories were more formalized, and the parade’s popularity grew with more and more boats participating.

With the community’s ever-growing appreciation of the Christmas Boat Parade, many residents were decorating their homes along the parade route. The decorated homes became such a draw, it was decided in the mid-1990s to create a home decoration competition for bayfront homes called Ring of Lights. Giving prizes for the best-decorated homes motivated more people to participate, and combined with the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, a national treasure was born.

2017 Ring of Lights Judge’s Award, 1st Place. Donna DiBari

The Beek family only participated as the lead boat in the parade for a few years due to the popularity of the event and the need to transport people on their ferries during the parade. Other boats took over the duty and today, the lead boat is filled with dignitaries and a celebrity Grand Marshall, which was implemented a few years ago when Newport Beach & Company, the official marketing agency for the City of Newport Beach, came on board to promote the boat parade and decorated home competition nationally and internationally.

“They have brought the event to a whole new level,” David says.

Past Grand Marshalls have included Angels Baseball owner Arte Moreno, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray fame, and Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson. Steve Rosansky, president/CEO of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, has announced this year’s Grand Marshall is three-time National League MVP and Angels first baseman Albert Pujols.

Grand Marshalls after Pujols on opening night include a salute to local heroes, The Young Americans, a celebration of the children of Olive Crest and the Corona del Mar High School Drum Line.

The boat parade and home competition is the signature event for The Commodores, who also host many other Newport Beach events like the sand castle Contest, Police Appreciation Breakfast and Citizen of the Year Gala. Of the 110-year Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade & Ring of Lights celebration, Rozansky says, “We’ve reached a milestone year and no doubt it will be bigger and better than ever.”

David says there are an average of 80 to 100 sailboats, yachts, kayaks, canoes, powerboats, and dinghies that participate in the boat parade each year and that ever since LED lighting came about, the boats have been jaw-dropping. He says of the participants:

“It is a big commitment to decorate your boat and spend five nights navigating the parade with different guests each night and cleaning up the boat the next day to do it all over again the next night. They are the true heroes of the event.”

David shares he had a boat in the parade in the 1980s when he was in his 20s, and after he joined The Commodores in 2003, he got involved on the planning end and has been parade chairman for the past 11 years. In the early years, when the parade was in the summer and known as the Tournament of Lights, Joseph had his boat, Vamos, in the parade and won awards several times, in particular, the Sweepstakes Award in 1930 (see photo). David’s father, Seymour, has headed the judging committee for 40 years. It is definitely a Beek effort, from beginning to end!

2017 Best Powerboat, El Navegante owner Joe Actan

After the five-night extravaganza, awards are announced and an awards dinner, hosted by The Commodores, is held in January – the last two years at the Fashion Island Hotel – where trophies are presented for such things as Best Animation/Special Effects, Best Sailboat, Best Theme, Best Music and for the Ring of Lights competition, Best Traditional Lights, Best on Peninsula, Founder’s Award, etc. It is a heartwarming community affair with smiles abounding.

This year’s parade, scheduled for December 19 through December 23, will once again showcase lavishly decorated boats and homes takingcenter stage for the world to see.

“I love it when the event is close to Christmas,” David says. “Everyone is out of school and families are all in town. It’s a greatevent, and it’s free!”