# The District's Holiday Boat Parade at The Wharf > Event for families in the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria area (DC / VA / MD / WV). Times are Eastern Time. - When: Sat, Dec 5 · 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM - Where: The Wharf DC & Washington Channel, 760 Maine Ave SW, Washington, DC 20024 - Ages: All ages (free public viewing; fully paved, stroller-accessible piers and boardwalks) - Price: Free admission (no tickets or reservations required for landside activities or boat parade viewing). - Organizer: The Wharf DC - Official page: https://www.wharfdc.com/events - Last checked: Sat, Nov 7 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 11, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-11-10), 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/washington-dc/activities/the-district-s-holiday-boat-parade-at-the-wharf--listing-e929a72d023b828e627cd4f4 ## About The District's Holiday Boat Parade is Washington D.C.'s premier waterfront holiday festival, celebrating its 34th annual voyage along the Washington Channel. Over 60 brightly decorated private motorboats, vintage schooners, and sailing yachts cruise along the shoreline competing for holiday prizes, festooned with thousands of multicolor twinkle lights, animated Santas, dancing snowmen, and inflatable holiday characters. Festivities culminate in a breathtaking fireworks salute exploding over the water at 8:00 PM. Throughout the afternoon and evening, The Wharf's piers burst with free family entertainment. Children can decorate wooden holiday ornaments, meet Santa Claus for photos, enjoy holiday karaoke, and roast complimentary s'mores over the wood-burning fire pits at Camp Wharf. The entire pedestrian promenade is flat, spacious, and completely stroller-accessible. Arriving via Metrorail to Waterfront Station (Green Line) or riding the free Wharf Shuttle from L'Enfant Plaza is highly advised, as waterfront parking garages fill to capacity early. ## Similar picks in Washington, DC - [Alexandria Holiday Boat Parade of Lights](https://grassyknees.com/washington-dc/activities/alexandria-holiday-boat-parade-of-lights--listing-c13524183b464975d4c594f5) — Sat, Dec 5 · 2:00 PM – 8:00 PM · Old Town Alexandria Waterfront & Waterfront Park · All ages · Free · checked Nov 7. 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