Raw States
Vero Beach Christmas Boat Parade
Vero Beach, FL · Holiday
- When
- December 16, 2026
- Where
- Vero Beach City Marina, 3611 Rio Vista Blvd · Vero Beach · FL
- Cost
- Not confirmed
- Status
- Confirmed from the organizer's published schedule
Decorated boats wind through the Indian River Lagoon past several public parks and the city marina on a set night before Christmas. It is a long-running lagoon tradition with dedicated public viewing spots along the route.
The history within reach
- Vero Beach Christmas Boat Paradesame spot
Decorated boats wind through the Indian River Lagoon past several public parks and the city marina on a set night before Christmas.
- Pelican Island12 mi
Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order protecting a five-acre mangrove island from plume hunters, and in doing so created the first national wildlife refuge, the seed of a system that now covers more ground than the national parks.
- Sebastian Clambake13 mi
A free waterfront festival on the Indian River Lagoon built around fresh clams and local seafood, with historical reenactments and a full band lineup.
Zora Neale Hurston, who chronicled Black Florida in her writing, spent her last years here writing for the local paper, and was buried in an unmarked grave until Alice Walker came looking in 1973 and put up a stone reading 'A Genius of the South.' The town now keeps a trail of her places, ending at the Garden of Heavenly Rest..
Two paired festivals under one roof at the county event center, pairing bacon-forward vendors and Southern barbecue with an indoor-outdoor fall craft fair.