San Diego Bay Parade of Lights

San Diego, CA · Holiday

When: December 13–20, 2026
Where: San Diego Bay / Embarcadero · San Diego · CA
Cost: Not confirmed
Status: Confirmed from the organizer's published schedule

Boat owners decorate their vessels with string lights and sail a parade route across San Diego Bay on two Sunday evenings each December, viewable free from the Embarcadero, Shelter Island, and Harbor Island. Now in its 56th year, the parade is organized by a nonprofit committee and draws thousands of shoreline spectators each night. The fleet ranges from small sailboats to yachts decked out for the holidays.

Open on the map → Official site

Organize this event? Claim this page to confirm the dates and details. It takes about a minute.

The history within reach

San Diego Bay Parade of Lightssame spot
Boat owners decorate their vessels with string lights and sail a parade route across San Diego Bay on two Sunday evenings each December, viewable free from the Embarcadero, Shelter Island, and Harbor Island.
The Midway comes homesame spot
The longest-serving American aircraft carrier of the twentieth century, 47 years, from just after the war to Desert Storm, moored downtown as a museum.
Fleet Week San Diego0.1 mi
Fleet Week San Diego opens Navy ships at Broadway Pier for free public tours and stages a Sea and Air Parade across San Diego Bay with flyovers from Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.
San Diego becomes the tuna capital of the world0.1 mi
Portuguese families from the Azores and Sicilians from the Mediterranean built a fleet that made San Diego the tuna capital of the world, with canneries employing thousands of women on the waterfront.
The Star of India0.4 mi
An iron windjammer that rounded the world 21 times carrying emigrants to New Zealand and salmon from Alaska, and is now the oldest active sailing ship on earth.