Overview

Every year in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, town residents and visitors gather to celebrate the annual North Carolina Holiday Flotilla. The event features the Festival in the Park with an antique car show, local merchants, food and inflatables during the day followed by a boat parade — where contestants decorate boats with elaborate light designs — and fireworks in the evening. An annual highlight for the Wrightsville Beach community, the tradition attracts around 50,000 visitors annually.

One of the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla boat parade's contestants decorated with Christmas lights in the Banks Channel in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. (date and source unknown).

History

In 1983, founders of the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla hoped to create a tradition that would bring energy to the beach town during its winter season — one that's far less populated by visitors than the town is during summer. Martha Lee, one of the Flotilla's founders, recognized the necessity of a popular event after serving as the Wrightsville Beach representative on the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce and saw how much local businesses were affected by the town's smaller winter population.

Inspired by one she was familiar with in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Lee saw an opportunity to draw visitors to Wrightsville Beach by utilizing the wide Banks Channel, which is populated by boats throughout the warmer months. The tradition has been held the weekend following Thanksgiving since its second year; it was held closer to Christmas in its inaugural year, but organizers felt that holding it earlier would encourage more participants (poor weather conditions allowed only three boats to display their lights in the first year).

A firework show closes the annual North Carolina Holiday Flotilla festivities above boats in the Banks Channel in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina in 2019. (source unknown).

2022 Flotilla

Now in its 39th year, the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla will kick-off the Christmas season on Nov. 26. Participants can enter his or her themed boat in the parade for $25 and have the opportunity to win prizes between $1,500 and $5,000 for categories such as Best in Show, People's Choice Award and Best Costumes and Crew Spirit. The event is made possible by sponsorships, and information about becoming a sponsor can be found here.