Petaluma Lighted Boat Parade

On a Saturday evening in December, boats strung with holiday lights travel down the Petaluma River and into the Turning Basin in the heart of downtown. The Lighted Boat Parade is hosted by the Petaluma Yacht Club with the Petaluma Downtown Association, and it draws several thousand people to the shore to watch the flotilla arrive.

The boats reach the basin around six o'clock, well after dark, when the reflections on the water double every string of lights.

It is one of the simplest and loveliest holiday evenings in the county: free, outdoors and over in about an hour, which leaves the rest of the night for downtown Petaluma.

Arrive early to claim a place along the riverbank, dress for a cold night by the water, and make an evening of it, with the shops and restaurants of the historic downtown all around the basin. For anyone staying in Petaluma for a December weekend, it is the night to plan around.