Picture yourself in a boat on a river, paddling the Hillsborough River at night, surrounded by twinkling holiday lights and joyful noise made by dozens of fellow paddlers gliding across the water, while spectators shout greetings from shore.
That’s what you can experience during the 24th Annual Holiday Boat Parade on the Hillsborough River, Tampa Bay’s only paddler-friendly holiday event on Sunday, Dec. 22 launching at 6 p.m. from Lowry Park boat ramp in Tampa. The parade travels an easy distance upriver to Sulphur Springs Park, where Sulphur Springs Action League hosts a community party for spectators. Boaters make a round trip back to Lowry Park, as there is no ramp available at Sulphur Springs.
Organized by Friends of the Hillsborough River and Tampa Bay Sierra Club volunteers, the free event is designed to be safe, fun and friendly for kayaks, canoes and paddle boards, as well as small power boats. To participate, boaters decorate their crafts with battery-powered lights and other shiny holiday objects.
Although the event is free, boaters are required to register online in advance by visiting this Sierra Club Outings page: http://bit.ly/3B1Sb8G. (For more details, see below.)
Safety first
Getting dozens of boaters out on the river at night means making safety a priority. This event requires everyone to follow basic safety rules, such as wearing USCG-approved personal floatation devices and a whistle. Drinking alcohol is prohibited for anyone piloting any type of watercraft. A safety boat and Tampa Police Department’s Marine Safety Patrol vessel follow paddlers to provide assistance if needed, while also maintaining a safe separation between paddlers and power boats, which bring up the rear.
When the parade reaches Sulphur Springs Park, paddlers pull alongside either river bank to make way for power boats to circle in front of the spectators gathered along the shore. Power boats then lead the way back to Lowry Park, followed by the paddlers to avoid crossing paths.
River unites communities
Spectators watch this Sierra Club/Friends of the Hillsborough River event from Lowry Park and all along the river, past the illuminated River Tower Park and up to Sulphur Springs Park to greet the community party there. It’s a Seminole Heights community tradition to hold parties at homes along the river and share holiday greetings with boaters.
Tampa Bay Sierra Club’s late chair Kent Bailey observed a few years ago that the river is one of the area’s most vital resources. “It provides all kinds of recreational opportunities. It knits our community together. It’s a major draw when new residents and businesses are considering moving to Tampa,” Bailey said. “The boat parade is a wonderful event that everyone can be involved in and it can bring them in touch with the environment while they get to enjoy the unique asset that is our river.”
The river unites Sulphur Springs and Seminole Heights residents, who share many community concerns, such as long-awaited improvements at River Tower Park and reopening the Sulphur Springs Pool, which was closed this year. The Holiday Boat Parade also connects residents of these two neighborhoods in celebrating how special it is to live in a city with a river flowing through it, inspiring hope that the river and its special features can continue to be restored.
Friends of the Hillsborough River started the boat parade in 2000 to bring attention to the Hillsborough River and its revitalization. The citizens group won a legal victory earlier that year to bring a science-based approach to managing the river by requiring a five-year study to determine how much freshwater the Hillsborough needs to function effectively as a tidal estuary, the place where the life of Tampa Bay begins. Results of the study proved the group was correct in its assertion that a tidal estuary requires a minimum flow that includes clean, freshwater, overruling the City of Tampa’s plan to rely solely on Sulphur Springs’ increasingly salty water.
After decades of neglect, the Hillsborough River has been revitalized as a place where people can again enjoy fishing, paddling and other recreation. Friends of the Hillsborough River and Sierra Club continue to advocate for the river’s health and beauty. For example, the groups successfully opposed the City of Tampa’s recent proposal to add treated wastewater to the river’s minimum flow and remain actively engaged in ongoing assessment of the minimum flow amount by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.
During Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Friends’ leaders also shared timely updates from the City of Tampa Water Department with its 1,700 members through the group’s Facebook page. The updates helped inform river residents about how city staff were carefully managing the massive, unprecedented challenges of both the enormous storm surge and downriver flow to reduce the impact on Tampa’s riverfront communities.
Boat Parade Details:
When: Begins Sunday, Dec. 22 at 6 p.m.
Where: Route begins at Lowry Park Boat Ramp, 1204 W. Flora St, Tampa, travels upriver to Sulphur Springs Park, 701 E. Bird St., Tampa. (Boaters should gather at the ramp by 5:30 p.m. Those making a roundtrip will return to Lowry Park about 7:30 p.m.)
Boaters: Registration is required at this link: http://bit.ly/3B1Sb8G
What boaters should bring: Your own boat; battery-operated lights and tape to decorate your canoe, kayak, paddleboard or boat; warm clothing in case it’s cool after sundown; flashlight or headlamp; a whistle; life jackets, which must be worn at all times.
Spectators: The best places to view the parade are at Lowry Park Boat Ramp, the Sulphur Springs Action League Community Party at Sulphur Springs Park, and all along the shoreline of the parade route.
Visit the Friends of the Hillsborough River’s Facebook page for updates.
Story and photos provided by Phil Compton, John Ovink and Liz Taylor
Originally published Dec. 5, 2024