At 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 12, the first lit boats of the 55th Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade leave the New River downtown. They head east to the Intracoastal and then north toward Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach, a route Winterfest describes as 12 miles long. This year's theme is "Party in the U.S.A.," the country duo LOCASH serves as grand marshal, and the parade closes out Fort Lauderdale's yearlong America 250 celebration.
The ticketed crowd in the official viewing area at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park sees the lead boats around 6:30 p.m. The parade doesn't reach the Intracoastal between the Sunrise and Oakland Park bridges until later. Coral Ridge's evening starts after Las Olas has already begun, and the same schedule that sets the start also closes the roads east to the beach while the boats go by.
The Bridge Table Is the Timetable
For Coral Ridge, the bridge schedule works as the parade's clock. Every drawbridge on the route goes up and stays up while the parade passes, and Winterfest posts the approximate times each one closes to cars. Here is the stretch from Las Olas north, from the bridge schedule Winterfest updated in late October:
| Bridge | Closed to cars | Reopens | Where it sits relative to Coral Ridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Olas Boulevard | 6:30 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | South of the neighborhood, at the official viewing area |
| Sunrise Boulevard | 7:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | The neighborhood's southern edge |
| Oakland Park Boulevard | 7:30 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | The neighborhood's northern edge |
| Commercial Boulevard | 8:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | North, toward Lauderdale-by-the-Sea |
The Coast Guard's Local Notice to Mariners for the Southeast District, dated October 21, 2026, sets the same times on the water. The Sunrise bridge stays in the open position from 7 to 9 p.m., the Oakland Park bridge from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., and the Las Olas bridge from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The notice is a federal navigation document, and it agrees with Winterfest's table to the half hour.
Read together, the two schedules show that boats reach Coral Ridge's southern edge about half an hour after Las Olas and its northern edge about an hour after. Between roughly 7 and 9:30 p.m., the parade is passing somewhere along this stretch. The lead boats will move a little faster or slower depending on the night.
The windows can also shift from year to year. Winterfest's 2024 brochure listed the Oakland Park bridge as up from 8 to 10 p.m. The 2025 brochure moved it to 7:30 to 9:30, the same window posted for 2026. The 6 p.m. start began with the 2025 parade and continues this year. The bridge page carries the current times, and it's the one to check again the week of the parade.
The Beach Side Closes While the Boats Pass
The bridge times do more than mark the parade's arrival. Coral Ridge sits on the mainland side of the Intracoastal. Its routes by car to Fort Lauderdale Beach, the Galt Ocean Mile and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea all run over these drawbridges. When the Sunrise bridge closes to cars at 7 p.m. and the Oakland Park bridge follows at 7:30, both of the neighborhood's own crossings are closed together from 7:30 to 9 p.m., and at least one of them is closed from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The Commercial Boulevard bridge, the next crossing north, stays closed from 8 to 11 p.m.
On parade night, the timing decides everything else. A 7:30 dinner reservation on the beach side means crossing before the bridges close and staying there until they reopen. Guests coming from the barrier island to a Coral Ridge dock party face the same problem in reverse. The posted times are approximate, so leave some margin on both ends.
The water closes much earlier than the roads. At 4:50 p.m., the Intracoastal closes to non-parade vessels from Port Everglades to just south of the Oakland Park bridge, which covers all of Coral Ridge's waterfront. North of the Oakland Park bridge, the closure starts at 5:50 p.m. and runs to Lake Santa Barbara. A boat that needs to move that evening has to be in place by late afternoon.
The Sunrise bridge adds its own complication this season. The Coast Guard notice describes a rehabilitation project with construction equipment around the southeast fender and span. The channel there is partly blocked, and the contractor works around the clock. FDOT's project page estimates completion in fall 2027. The parade will pass a bridge that is still under construction, though it will be fully open for the posted two hours.
Three Tables at the Oakland Park Bridge
The waterfront restaurants at Coral Ridge's northern edge cluster on NE 32nd Avenue beside the Oakland Park bridge, close enough to the channel that the parade passes right in front of them. Two of them have published plans for December 12:
- BoKampers Sports Bar & Grill, 3115 NE 32nd Avenue. Its Winterfest page offers premium seats from $140 on the patio or dock, with a four-course menu. The menu runs from stone crab chowder or a cold seafood platter, through a stacked wedge salad and a choice of a 6-ounce filet, miso-glazed Faroe Island salmon or bone-in chicken breast, to Key lime pie or holiday Bundt cake. Reservations go through Lindsay Ravenell at 954-770-4969, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Grateful Palate, 3003 NE 32nd Avenue. Children's Harbor is holding its Boat Parade Watch Party here from 6 to 10 p.m. Individual tickets are $250, raffle tickets are $20 each, and a $100 bundle includes seven. The event page describes it as a waterfront evening with direct water access, held as a fundraiser for the charity.
- Shooters Waterfront, 3033 NE 32nd Avenue. It sits between the other two on the same strip and has a Winterfest page. Call directly for this year's parade-night seating.
The bridge schedule affects these tables too. The Oakland Park bridge is the last of Coral Ridge's two crossings to close, at 7:30 p.m. That's about an hour after the boats reach Las Olas, so the parade gets here late in the evening. Both the Children's Harbor party, which starts at 6, and a four-course dinner leave plenty of time before the lead boats arrive. Anyone driving in from the beach side should get across before 7:30, or plan to stay on NE 32nd Avenue until 9:30.
For comparison, the official viewing area at Las Olas Intracoastal Promenade Park, 80 Las Olas Circle, opens its gates at 4 p.m. It has stage entertainment, provides chairs, and sells tickets at $40 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under, with children 3 and under free. Winterfest's weekend directory also lists reserved seating at $60 and assigned bleacher seats at $80. Getting there from Coral Ridge means driving south before the Las Olas bridge closes at 6:30 and heading home after the Sunrise bridge reopens at 9.
Free Ground, With Closing Times
Parks along this stretch keep their usual hours on parade night. George English Park, 1101 Bayview Drive, is open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and has a boat ramp, a canoe and kayak landing, and a fishing area, according to the city's facility listing. The 9 p.m. closing lines up with the Sunrise bridge reopening, so the park's hours cover the window when the parade passes Coral Ridge's southern edge. Visit the park in daylight first to see whether the sightline from the shore works for you.
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, at 3109 E. Sunrise Boulevard on the beach side, is open from 8 a.m. to sunset. A December sunset comes well before the parade reaches this stretch, so the park isn't an evening option.
For Anyone Watching From a Dock
For homes with docks on this stretch of the route, one federal rule applies directly. Under 33 CFR 100.702, the Winterfest parade is a regulated marine event with a moving zone from Cooley's Landing Marina to Lake Santa Barbara. The zone includes a buffer that extends 50 yards ahead of the lead vessel, 50 yards behind the last vessel and 50 yards on either side of the parade. The regulation lists the event's approximate period as 1:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. The same regulation separately covers the City of Pompano Beach Holiday Boat Parade, which runs north from Lake Santa Barbara to the Hillsboro Bridge.
That covers what the rule says. How it applies to a particular boat, dock or guest list is a question for the Coast Guard or a qualified marine professional. Treat this as general information, not legal advice.
With the waterway closed from late afternoon, a dock on this stretch becomes a place for guests on parade night. If you're thinking about how your waterfront space works for nights like this, or what it means for a future sale, Laurie's Lauderdale Group can look at it with you, from lighting and seating to how a dock-front home shows in December. Request a Design + Market Consultation.
