For years, the official place to watch the Greater Pompano Beach Chamber Holiday Boat Parade was on East Atlantic Boulevard. In 2025, the Chamber's VIP viewing area and the judges' stand were at Miraggio Italian Grill, 3100 E. Atlantic Blvd. Public bleachers stood at Alsdorf Park on the 14th Street Causeway. That parade began at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 12, 2025. It started at Lake Santa Barbara, went north up the Intracoastal Waterway and ended at Hillsboro Boulevard.
The 64th edition falls on Friday, December 11, 2026, and two things have changed. The Chamber's own event page says the parade begins at 6:00 p.m., an hour earlier. The official VIP viewing party has also moved out of Pompano Beach. It is now at The Cove Waterfront & Tiki Bar in Deerfield Beach. Lighthouse Point sits on the water between last year's viewing stand and this year's. Seen from here, the town's whole fall calendar now builds toward one Friday night on the Intracoastal, and the official vantage point for that night is closer to home than it used to be.
What changed between the 63rd and the 64th
The Chamber's 2026 page and the City of Pompano Beach's December 2025 release lay out the two years side by side. Each row below comes from one of those two sources.
| 2025 (63rd annual) | 2026 (64th annual) | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, December 12 | Friday, December 11 |
| Parade start | 7:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| Theme | "Rock the Boat – Holiday Remix" | "A Party in the U.S.A." |
| Official VIP viewing | Miraggio Italian Grill, 3100 E. Atlantic Blvd, Pompano Beach | The Cove Waterfront & Tiki Bar, Deerfield Beach |
| Chamber on the water | Not listed | Chamber Boat Experience, $200 per person, open bar included |
| Route as published | Lake Santa Barbara north to Hillsboro Boulevard | "Along the Intracoastal Waterway" |
| Livestream | Chamber YouTube and Facebook | Facebook and YouTube |
The route row needs care. The 2026 listing does not name a starting or ending point. Lake Santa Barbara to Hillsboro Boulevard, the route that passes Lighthouse Point, is last year's published course. Until the Chamber posts a 2026 route, treat it as a strong guide, not a promise.
The start time also needs care. The City of Pompano Beach event listing shows a 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. window in its header. Further down the same page, it says the parade begins at 6:00 p.m. The Chamber lists the evening as 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. and repeats the 6:00 p.m. start. Six o'clock is the time to plan around.
The Chamber gets into the parade itself
The biggest program change is the Chamber's own boat. In its own words:
"This year, the Greater Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce will have its own boat in the parade, and we're inviting you to come aboard!"
The Chamber Boat Experience is limited to a small number of guests at $200 per person, open bar included. Viewing tickets at The Cove are $100 per person. The Chamber expects more than 50 boats, and it will judge entries for the best use of this year's theme. For a Lighthouse Point household with a boat at the dock, that is a direct invitation to enter. The listing names four ways to take part: enter a boat, ride the Chamber boat, book a seat at The Cove, or watch the livestream.
The calendar matters for boat owners too. The parade lands in the same weeks as other December commitments in town, and those start building in October.
October is already booked, mostly in two parks
The City of Lighthouse Point's current community bulletin runs the season through a short list of public spaces. Its dated events for the rest of October:
- Farmer's Market, Sunday, October 11, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Dan Witt Park. The same bulletin lists a September 13 market at the same park and hours.
- Free Shred Event, Saturday, October 17, 9:00 a.m. to noon, Dixon Ahl Hall.
- Halloween at the Point, Thursday, October 22, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Frank McDonough Park.
- Mayor's Chess Challenge, Saturday, October 24, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., John Trudel Community Center.
The season opener has already happened. The Fall Concert & Food Trucks evening at Frank McDonough Park was on Saturday, October 3, the same day the MammoVan visited Dan Witt Park. Halloween at the Point brings families back to Frank McDonough Park less than three weeks after the concert.
The library's fall class session started the week of October 5. It is funded through the city's CDBG program. The bulletin lists Book Club, Watercolor Winter Florals, Appy Hour Technology, Strength Bands, Paper Quilling Jewelry, Yoga, Tech Assist 101 and Needle Felting Wool Seascapes. Two of those titles, winter florals and wool seascapes, look ahead to the holiday season by name.
Frank McDonough Park carries the season into December
The one detail in the bulletin that ties October to the parade month is in the sports listings. Youth basketball has moved to a new November through December season this year. It will also be the first season on the newly renovated court at Frank McDonough Park. Cheer registration opened the same day as basketball, September 8.
In the past, the parade arrived in a December with no youth basketball on the city calendar. This year it falls in the middle of the new season. The park that hosts the fall concert and Halloween at the Point will be busy with games on the renovated court through the parade weeks. So the park calendar and the water calendar now overlap.
There is one December date the city has not yet confirmed. The city's 2025–26 special events sponsorship document lists Lighthouse A'Glow for December 3, 2025. A 2026 date had not appeared on the city calendar as of early October. The City of Lighthouse Point calendar is the place to watch for it.
Federal Highway, between tenants
The town's restaurant strip is also in flux this fall, and the news so far is mostly announcements.
At The Shoppes at Beacon Light, 2410 N. Federal Highway, Pepe's Cantina has been announced as an incoming tenant serving modern Mexican and Tex-Mex food. WhatNow reported in late September 2026 that a state permit had been filed. The outlet said it had contacted franchisee Valentin Moncada, and that co-founder Frank Chavez confirmed the opening, which it placed "later this year or early next year." There is no firm date yet. The address sits on the commercial line between Lighthouse Point and Pompano Beach. Midnight Cookies & Cream is already open in the same Beacon Light corridor, according to the company's location page. Its address is 2490 N. Federal Highway.
Farther north, at 3128 N. Federal Highway, Elysium Immersive Dining soft-opened in March 2025 in the former Legends Tavern & Grille space. In July 2026, the Sun Sentinel reported that founder Tommy Catolico Pires planned to move the concept to 2031 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors, with an August 15 opening. As of early October, no public report has confirmed the Wilton Manors opening or named a new tenant for the Lighthouse Point space.
Planning the night of December 11
These points come straight from the published listings and the city bulletin:
- Plan for 6:00 p.m. That is the parade start on both the Chamber page and the city page, even though the city page header shows 7:00 p.m.
- Decide early on paid tickets. The Chamber Boat Experience is $200 per person with limited space. Viewing tickets at The Cove in Deerfield Beach are $100.
- Wait for the 2026 route. Last year's course ran from Lake Santa Barbara to Hillsboro Boulevard. This year's listing says only "along the Intracoastal Waterway."
- Have the livestream ready. The Chamber will stream on Facebook and YouTube.
- Check the youth basketball schedule. It is the first year games run in November and December, and they are on the renovated Frank McDonough Park court.
Many Lighthouse Point homes sit on the Intracoastal or the canals that feed it, so the parade route also says something about how much of daily life here happens on the water. If you are thinking about selling a waterfront home on that route, or buying one, GK Group can talk through what the water side of the property adds to its value. Request a confidential luxury market consultation.
