# Christmas Ships Parade at the St. Helens Riverfront

> Event for families in the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro area (OR / WA). Times are Pacific Time.

- When: Sat, Dec 12 · 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Where: St. Helens City Docks and Columbia View Park, 3 Strand Street, St. Helens, OR 97051
- Ages: All ages
- Price: Check official pricing
- Organizer: Christmas Ships Parade (volunteer nonprofit)
- Official page: https://www.christmasships.org/
- Last checked: Tue, Oct 27

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Nov 2, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-11-01), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/portland/activities/christmas-ships-parade-at-the-st-helens-riverfront--listing-8620645bca18d09ffbfccb59

## About

Once a season the combined Christmas Ships fleet, both the Columbia River and Willamette River boats, sails down to St. Helens and puts on its light show for Columbia County. The decorated boats assemble at the St. Helens City Docks at 6 p.m. and parade in front of the docks for about half an hour, then head downriver past Columbia City and, when the weather and river allow, cross toward the Washington shore near Woodland before returning to St. Helens; the fleet is out for roughly two hours. Families can watch from the bluff by the Columbia County Courthouse above the docks or from Columbia View Park on the waterfront, and further downriver from the Caples House Museum grounds and Pixie Park in Columbia City. The boats tie up overnight at the St. Helens docks before continuing up the Multnomah Channel the next day. Bring warm, waterproof layers and arrive early to find a spot along the railing; the volunteer-run parade can change with wind, debris and river conditions.

## Similar picks in Portland

- [Christmas Ships Parade – Willamette River (2026)](https://grassyknees.com/portland/activities/christmas-ships-parade-willamette-river-2026--listing-1a7c44afb4082faf5c6452a0) — Mon, Dec 7 (+9 more dates) · 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Riverplace Marina (fleet assembly point) · checked Oct 28. Decorated, lighted boats of the Christmas Ships fleet (a tradition since 1954) parade on the Willamette River from Riverplace Marina in downtown Portland, alternating routes to…
- [Washougal Lighted Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting](https://grassyknees.com/portland/activities/washougal-lighted-christmas-parade-and-tree-lighting--listing-14dd37282345de2ba91c890f) — Thu, Dec 3 · 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM · Reflection Plaza, Washougal · checked Oct 14. Washougal's holiday lighted Christmas parade and tree lighting in downtown, based at Reflection Plaza on Main Street, as listed on the City of Washougal events calendar.
- [Christmas Ships Parade – Columbia River (2026)](https://grassyknees.com/portland/activities/christmas-ships-parade-columbia-river-2026--listing-c4d2038dc4c4ed9906cbe1d6) — Thu, Dec 3 (+9 more dates) · 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM · M. James Gleason Boat Ramp (fleet assembly point) · checked Oct 28. The Columbia River fleet of the Christmas Ships parade assembles in front of the M. James Gleason Boat Ramp and cruises to viewing areas including the Vancouver Waterfront/Hayden…
- [Stevenson Tree Lighting and Starlight Parade — Christmas in the Gorge](https://grassyknees.com/portland/activities/stevenson-tree-lighting-and-starlight-parade-christmas-in-the-gorge--listing-471154ec6312bc2dd4fb3c28) — Fri, Dec 4 · 6:55 PM · Skamania County Courthouse Lawn and downtown Stevenson (Highway 14) · checked Oct 27. Stevenson's biggest holiday night combines the county Christmas tree lighting with the Starlight Parade. Families gather on the Courthouse Lawn for caroling and the lighting of…
- [Sherwood Holiday Festival — Parade and Tree Lighting](https://grassyknees.com/portland/activities/sherwood-holiday-festival-parade-and-tree-lighting--listing-4c8d6089cd989e34f75d2dcb) — Sat, Dec 5 · 4:00 PM · Cannery Square Park, Old Town Sherwood · Free · checked Oct 21. Sherwood's annual holiday afternoon in Old Town. At 4 pm a community parade of family-friendly entries and floats — with the Sherwood High School Marching Band, the Maid Marian…
- [Milwaukie Umbrella Parade and Tree Lighting](https://grassyknees.com/portland/activities/milwaukie-umbrella-parade-and-tree-lighting--listing-67d0b94de4fa769dadd85c3b) — Sat, Dec 5 · 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM · Historic Milwaukie City Hall (parade from South Downtown Plaza) · checked Oct 21. A rain-ready Oregon twist on the holiday parade: anyone can decorate an umbrella (or a bicycle) and march four blocks up Main Street in downtown Milwaukie to historic City Hall…

## More for families

- [Things to do with kids in St. Helens, OR](https://grassyknees.com/portland/towns/st-helens-or) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/portland/towns/st-helens-or.md)
- [Christmas lights and holiday events for kids in Portland](https://grassyknees.com/portland/christmas) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/portland/christmas.md)
- [This weekend in Portland](https://grassyknees.com/portland/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/portland/this-weekend.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Portland](https://grassyknees.com/portland) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/portland.md)