Louisiana’s Best Christmas Boat Parades You Can Still Attend
In South Louisiana, those who live near the border of Iberia and Vermilion Parish know a thing or two about celebrating the season without solid ground. The Delcambre Christmas Boat Parade is a tradition around these parts and it looks as if this year's celebration will be nothing short of spectacular as well.
But did you know Delcambre isn't the only Louisiana community that slips Santa into town for an early visit via the water? There are actually several other communities that combine the whimsy and magic of Christmas with the reflective properties of water to instill amazing holiday memories on those that line the banks and ooh and ahh.
As you can see from the photos above that are posted to the Facebook page for the Delcambre Boat Poker Run and Christmas Boat Parade there is just something mesmerizing about seeing beautifully decorated "floats" shine and shimmer as they glide down the waters of Bayou Carlin.
This year's parade in Delcambre is set for Saturday, December 10th at 6 pm. The social media post by organizers reminds those who plan on attending that stadium seating is not available this year, so if you want to sit, you're going to need to bring your own chair.
Meanwhile, the following Saturday, December 17th Pearl River Louisiana hosts the Eden Isles Christmas Boat Parade. That event has a permanent place on the calendar. It's the third Saturday in December. This year's parade is set to sail at 5 pm.
Meanwhile, a little further "down the bayou", the Town of Golden Meadow will host their annual Christmas Boat Parade on the same day.
That event also includes a day-long arts and crafts fair at Oakridge Community Park. There will also be a gumbo cookoff that coincides with the nighttime holiday spectacular. Organizers use the event as an annual fundraiser to help families in need in and around the Golden Meadow community. The events in the park commence at 10 AM while the parade sails around 5 pm.
The Bayou Gauche Christmas on the Bayou Parade in Destrehan is also scheduled to set sail on Saturday, December 17th. The event is a "just for fun" event so there aren't any awards and all boats are welcome as long as they have lights.
That parade has attracted a lot of famous "guests" as it moves down the bayou. Is that Elvis?
If memory serves us correctly, that's a shot from the 2018 edition of the parade.
And for those of you who were wondering, "when are they going to mention Natchitoches"? Here you go. The Christmas Festival in Natchitoches is one of the most amazing holiday spectaculars in the country. It was featured in the movie Steel Magnolias and today guests still come to the Natchitoches Parish town for meat pies and the magic of Christmas.
To be honest, the festival in Natchitoches has been underway since November but this Saturday, December the 10th is when you can view the lighted boat parade on the Cane River as it sails past the downtown area. The parade will sail at 5 pm, there will be music from Wayne Toups at 6 pm, and at 7 pm fireworks will light up the banks of the Cane River and the rest of town.
Did we miss anybody? If we did, please let us know so we can help you get the word out about your town's event and charitable causes. Just drop us a line via this website or you can use our station app to send us messages and pictures too. Merry Christmas!
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