The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade, Newport Beach, California, United States

With the exception of a few years during World War II, the Tournament of Lights was held every summer from 1919 through 1949. Skipped in 1948, 1949 the Police and Fire authorities believed that the light parade was drawing too many visitors to the harbor and creating heavy crowding and traffic congestion. The Tournament of Lights fell out of favor.
However, back in 1946, Newport Beach City employees had outfitted a barge during the holiday season and installed a lighted Christmas tree. The barge was towed around the harbor while its passengers sang Christmas carols to residents on shore.
Most of the early participants were children who decorated floats that were towed around the harbor. The floats were constructed in Beek’s garage and many were patterned after those seen in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.
In later years, the Beek family came to the front again and provided one of their ferryboats for the floating Christmas tree celebration. Gradually, each year, other lighted boats fell in line behind the city employees’ floating tree. Soon the Tournament of Lights came back as a Christmas celebration. However, in the early 1970s the crowd draw forced the Beeks to withdraw their ferry, for it was needed for service transport for all the people, by then there were more than enough boats glad to lead the parade.