FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Winterfest Boat Parade will celebrate its 50th anniversary on Saturday night.
The party, however, kicked off at the hotel a night early.
The Grand Marshal for the event will be TV host and actor Mario Lopez.
“I like people, and I like to make people happy, make sure they’re having a good time and to entertain,” he said, “and any opportunity I get to just be myself and do that, I think it’s great.”
The world’s largest parade on the water is set begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s going to be a huge event. Mario will be there, Dara Torres will be there as well,” said Fifth Third Bank Senior Vice President Julio Ramirez. “A lot of celebrities, a lot of fun on the boat.”
The Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, located at 80 Las Olas Circle, is the new watch site organized by Winterfest to see the parade while on land.
“We have a new area. It’s our parade viewing area. It’s sponsored by Baptist Health, right on Las Olas, on the east side of the Intracoastal,” said Winterfest President and CEO Lisa Scott-Founds. “Five thousand spectators on the water, a million people coming out to watch this parade. It is the largest one-day live spectator event in the entire State of Florida.”
The Riverside Hotel Fort Lauderdale is also another prime spot to watch the parade.
“We are certainly party central again for the 50th Winterfest Boat Parade,” said Riverside Hotel general manager Heiko Dobrikow. “Once again we are hosting the VIP viewing area.”
“Keep an eye out for boat number 50. Boat number 50 is going to be our 50th anniversary boat, and that will be a showstopper,” said Boat Parade Chairman Britt Lanier.
“If you think about it, we’re such a boating intensive community, we’re a family oriented community, and we also like to have fun, so you put all three of those together, and that really epitomizes the Winterfest Boat Parade,” said Mark Swenson, Boat Parade chairman of the board.
Several bridge closures will be taking place throughout the night. For more information on the closures, click here.
For more information on the Winterfest Boat parade, click here.
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