FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - It’s almost time to party, and those who make the magic happen at the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade are finishing the final preparations needed to make the night one to remember.
The “Movies on Parade” themed event is set to take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
President and CEO of the Winterfest Boat Parade Lisa Scott-Founds said the boats taking part in the 12-mile parade will feature themes for everyone.
“We have got a salute to the military. We’ve got a live nativity scene from Catholic Heath. We’ve got the Convention and Visitors Bureau doing fashion, design, art and culture,” said Scott-Founds. “We’ve got a Santa boat with Dania Pointe. City of Fort Lauderdale, our host city — we’re very excited — they’ll be leading off the parade.”
“We’re thrilled to have all of the nominees. It was such a great turnout to this year’s contest,” said Dania Pointe Marketing Director Kim Butler.
“It’s all about the entertainment and the costumes and all these magnificent choreographed routines,” said Scott-Founds. “It’s just going to be super dynamic.”
Riverside Hotel will host the VIP viewing for the 48th annual parade, and General Manager Heiko Dobrikow gave 7News a sneak peak of what attendees can expect.
“We’re going to do the red carpet with a life-size Oscar,” said Dobrikow. “We also partnered with some of the top 10 restaurants in our town in order to have delightful bites for our VIPs.”
Just east of the Riverside Hotel, a family-friendly party will be held with food trucks in the area.
An adults only dock party will take place at the Riverside Marina with an open bar. Patrons can get a great view of the parade on the Riverside Hotel patio, which is where the parade is set to start at.
Chris Lagerbloom with the City of Fort Lauderdale said the parade is a highly-anticipated event every year.
“We’ve had this parade for years. We love being the host city,” said Lagerbloom. “We look forward to this every year, and it looks like weather is going to be great. We see people watch this parade from balconies, from hotels, from parks. It’s just a celebration. It’s a great tradition, and we so look forward to it again this year.”
Drivers should be aware of traffic delays in the area:
- The Seventh Avenue, Third Avenue and Andrews Avenue bridges will be up from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- The bridge on Las Olas Boulevard will be up from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- The bridge on Sunrise Boulevard will be up from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- The Oakland Park Boulevard bridge will be up from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- The bridge on Commercial Boulevard will be up from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
The grand marshal of the parade is singer, songwriter and Poison frontman Bret Michaels.
Michaels also became a reality TV star after being featured in Rock of Love, Celebrity Apprentice and Rock My RV.
Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick are among other celebrities expected to take part in the parade.
The Grandstand viewing area will be held at Birch State Park.
“It’s the best seat to the greatest show on H-2-0,” said Scott-Founds. “Broward Health and the Florida Panthers have helped us put this together.”
Those who download the Winterfest Boat Parade app will be able to track Santa Claus as he flies in from the North Pole to take part in the parade.
“He’s going to be the grand finale on the Dania Beach and Dania Pointe show boat,” said Scott-Founds.
For more information, including Grandstand tickets, parking and road closures, click here.
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