The 24th Annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade (PBHBP) and 19th Annual Toy Drive kicked off the 2018 holiday season in early December. The events resulted in the collection of over 11,000 donated toys, a record of nearly 70 decorated parade boats, more than $10,000 in prizes awarded to parade participants, and tens of thousands of spectators. The 11,273 donated toys made the event the largest toy collecting event for Toys for Tots in the entire country, and a top collector for Little Smiles.
The events, hosted by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Inc. (MIAPBC),took place on Saturday, December 1 in North Palm Beach to benefit Toys for Tots and Little Smiles. In addition to the tens of thousands in attendance to view the parade in-person, over 14,000 people were able to view the parade from the comfort of their own homes with the new WPBF Facebook Live stream of the event and on the WPBF app.
Boat owners and their crews came out to support the toy drive and have fun by competing against each other for more than $10,000 in cash and prizes. Entrants spent hours planning and setting up displays that contained thousands of lights, inflatables, props and more. Boats of all sizes were welcomed to enter with no entry fee required.
Best of Parade was awarded to Pardi Princess, a yacht decorated with colorful lights, a Christmas tree, Santa Claus in his sleigh led by reindeer, and more for an impressive Christmas-themed presentation.
For the first year in the event’s history, a fan favorite award was given. The Goode Life received positive reactions both online through Facebook voting and offline, reaching 8,000 on social media between the initial post and winner announcement.
Judges also selected winners in a variety of categories, including under 25’, 25’-35’, over 35’ and corporate vessels. In the under 25’ category, Ms. Be Haven, Suits Us Too and Too Much Fun finished first through third respectively. Blue Rose finished first place in the 25’-35’ group with Eagles Nest finishing second and Aaron Liscomb coming in third. The over 35’ group was more competitive than ever before with two vessels – Freedom and Cornelius tying for first place and Honu finishing third. In the corporate boat group, Dee Queen II finished first, Country Club finished second and the Food Yacht came in third.
Dozens of fun and valuable prizes donated by sponsors were awarded during the parade, and all boats that placed in a category received a custom-engraved crystal award to prove their ability to spread holiday cheer. Pardi Princess won $1,500 for Best of Parade while The Goode Life took home $500 for being the fan favorite. Other prizes included fishing excursions, restaurant gift cards, spa services, towing memberships and more.
In December 2019, the PBHBPwill celebrate its 25thanniversary. Organizers hope to retain the event’s standing as the largest toy collecting event for Toys for Tots in the United States and break their 2018 mark of 11,273 toys.For more information about the upcoming Annual Palm Beach Holiday Boat Parade and Annual “On the Water” Toy Drive in North Palm Beach, visit palmbeachboatparade.com, email alyssa@marinepbc.org, or call (561) 863-0012.
About Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County:
The Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Inc. (MIAPBC) is a not-for-profit organization created to promote and protect the sound growth of the marine industry in Palm Beach County for the benefit and education of its members, the community, and the environment.
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Marine Industries Association Contact: Alyssa Freeman, (561) 863-0012 or alyssa@marinepbc.org.
Media Contact: Nicole Squartino NS Creative Marketing (954)275-6948 nsquartino@gmail.com.