The Lights Parade started on a boat in Spa Creek. In 1981, Eastport Yacht Club members Jim and Shirley Langer were living aboard their boat there. One cold December night they strung Christmas lights on the rigging and motored around the harbor singing carols. The next year friends joined them. By 1988 the parade had been named an "Official Maryland Winter Celebration."
The 44th annual EYC Lights Parade is on Saturday, December 12, 2026, at 6 p.m. The club describes it as two hours of boats "in all shapes and sizes" covered in colored lights, parading through Annapolis Harbor. It is the second parade in a row where most of the downtown waterfront is behind a construction fence. That puts more of the night on the Eastport side of Spa Creek, home of the club that started the parade.
The Downtown Waterfront Stays Fenced Through Parade Night
City Dock's flood-protection rebuild is moving faster than planned. At an August 25 press conference, Mayor Jared Littmann said the project is "on budget and ahead of schedule." Even so, the waterfront pieces in the City's August 25 release reopen in 2027, and only Barry Gate is expected this December:
| What | When the City expects it |
|---|---|
| Naval Academy reopens Barry Gate, bringing foot traffic back to the Dock Street business corridor | December 2026 |
| Ego Alley boardwalk reopens to pedestrians, and Watermark returns to its berth at Susan Campbell Park | March 2027 |
| City Dock Park and the Maritime Welcome Center open | July 2027 |
| Revised Phase Two, with limited closures on upper Dock Street, the top of Ego Alley and Compromise Street | Summer 2027 to spring 2028 |
Under Phase 1/1A on the City's construction updates page, lower Dock Street is closed from Craig Street to Susan Campbell Park, and upper Dock Street is partly closed between Craig and Randall Streets. Both run through May 2027.
That matches last December. Eye On Annapolis reported in December 2025 that construction between Craig Street and Susan Campbell Park had closed "most of the usual waterfront viewing areas." Only part of the promenade, between Randall Street at the top of Ego Alley and Craig Street, stayed open, and the outlet advised arriving early to get a spot. The fence will still be there this December, and the downtown side's best viewing spot will once again be its smallest.
The Boats Turn Around in Eastport's Front Yard
The route is the second reason the Eastport side does well. In its 2025 guide, Eye On Annapolis said the parade boats turn around "just past First Street." It also warned that "not all boats will go up Spa Creek beyond the bridge, so the numbered streets are your best bet for viewing!" The downtown side has a similar limit. The same report said some boats skip Ego Alley because they are too big to turn around there safely.
Last year's Eastport street-end picks were:
- The numbered streets along Spa Creek, close to the First Street turnaround
- Burnside Street
- Primrose Road at Truxtun Park
Visit Annapolis gives the same advice for people coming from out of town. Its list includes the city front, the Spa Creek Bridge, downtown waterfront street ends, and pocket parks in Eastport and Murray Hill. If you live a few blocks from those pocket parks, the visitor guides are sending crowds to your street end.
Across the creek, the 2025 downtown list covered the Market, Shipwright and Revel Street ends, Acton Cove, Southgate, Taney and Cheston Avenues, Lafayette Park and Monticello Avenue. Those are mostly Murray Hill street ends facing Eastport. Many of them sit beyond the bridge, the stretch where some boats never go.
Once the Drawspan Rises, Eastport Is Its Own Venue
The Eastport/Spa Creek Bridge is a great place to watch, but it is also what splits the evening in two. For the 2025 parade, the drawspan was scheduled to be raised for a large part of the event. Eye On Annapolis advised spectators to "choose a side early and be prepared to stay there," because crossing between Eastport and downtown might not be possible while the boats were out.
For Eastport households, that means planning the whole night on the peninsula. Dinner, a walk to the water, and getting home all happen on the same side of the creek. If you have family coming in from downtown, they should arrive before 6 p.m. Anyone planning to cross the bridge midway through will likely wait until the span comes down.
How Last Year's Eastport Plan Worked
Here is how the 2025 plan for the Eastport side was laid out ahead of the parade, according to Eye On Annapolis:
- Local access only. Residential streets and street-end waterfront areas on the Eastport side were to be limited to local traffic, to keep the peninsula moving before and after the parade.
- Enforcement. Blocking driveways or fire hydrants would bring enforcement, including towing, and parking restrictions were set for the street ends.
- Visitor parking off the residential blocks. Visitors were encouraged to use public lots at SAYC and Annapolis City Marina, with limited free parking in the teachers' lot at Eastport Elementary School.
- The free Eastport Trolley. Spectators could ride it from those lots to the waterfront viewing areas.
- Text alerts. The City's Office of Emergency Management planned traffic and safety alerts for anyone who texted LIGHTS2025 to 38276.
The downtown side had its own plan last year. Park Place Garage was listed at $5 after 5 p.m., with the free Magenta Shuttle running from there and past the Mills, Hillman, Gott's and Knighton garages. The preferred rideshare drop-off was near St. Mary's and Compromise Streets. Watermark Cruises was set to host a viewing boat at the end of Prince George Street, for a suggested donation to the Eastport Yacht Club Foundation and with no reservations required. Watermark's usual berth at Susan Campbell Park is part of what reopens in March 2027.
Inside the Club Gate, and On the Water
Eastport Yacht Club's event listing runs its parade-night gathering from 4 to 10 p.m. on December 12. Clubhouse and grounds access is for members only, and members must register for a wristband. In 2023, Eye On Annapolis described the parade's two fleets circling in front of the club, City Dock, the Naval Academy seawall and the stretch inside the Spa Creek Bridge.
If you own a boat, you can be part of the parade instead of watching it. Skipper registration is open for sail, power or dinghy. The application asks for boat details, insurance information, and a name and description of your theme. The club's motto for entrants is "all are welcome." Local businesses can sign on as sponsors, and the club says sponsorship helps support hundreds of local kids.
What started on one liveaboard boat has grown to dozens of lit boats and thousands of spectators. USA Today lists it among the top 10 holiday parades in America. This year, with City Dock still fenced, the turnaround past First Street is again one of the best places to watch.
If you're an Eastport homeowner thinking about how parade night, the street ends and the City Dock timeline affect your block, Brian Jacobs is glad to talk it through. Get a positive, helpful partner. Schedule a consultation.
