Santa Showboat delivered by Amazon to Wow Parade Spectators for the Second Year in a Row

Winterfest, Inc., producers of the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade, recently secured Fabulous Inflatables and Brandano Displays to design the Santa Showboat for the second year in a row. This Parade entry will host Santa Claus during his quick visit to South Florida and the City of Fort Lauderdale on December 16, 2023. The Santa Showboat, delivered by Amazon, will also host nominees from the Winterfest Foundation Jr. Captain Contest. These children, ages 7-16, represent the services of nonprofit organizations in Broward County. Download our app for a complete list of all 100 entries in Winterfest.

For information on how your Broward County non-profit organization can nominate a child, visit winterfestfoundation.org and scroll down the Jr. Captain section to nominate.

Santa Showboat Delivered By Amazon on board Jungle Queen, boat number 100 in the 2022 Winterfest Boat Parade

Look for more Parade highlights in this Captain’s Log, including our floating concert entry. winterfestparade.com

Winterfest Brings The Holidays Home!

November 18, 2020

The Organizers of Winterfest, Producers of the Signature Event, The Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade, brings “Home for the Holidays” with Decorating Contests, Virtual Events, Pop Up Santa Sightings, Holiday Cheer Light Cruises, and More as a countdown to the Annual Holiday Television Special

It was a very difficult decision to pause the “World’s Most Watch Boat Parade” for 2020, but that did not stop the organizers of Winterfest from reinventing this year’s holiday season.  The team may not be able to produce the famous Parade in December; however, they are committed to bringing community cheer with the theme, “Home for the Holidays.”

“This has been a very emotional time for all of us,” noted Lisa Scott-Founds, President and CEO of Winterfest, Inc. “The Parade is synonymous with the holidays. We had to weigh the safety of everyone onshore as well as the water. The event would create “gatherings” in public and private areas with little or no control regarding social distancing, and mask-wearing. What would those optics look like and how would that be perceived? It was decided by the Winterfest Board of Directors, as well as a few of our major sponsors, that the safety of the community was the main priority. As the area businesses open up, there is a tear that we are not the finale celebration for this difficult year. We may not have live events, but our calendar is full of holiday events and activities for everyone to enjoy.” Winterfest is asking the community to help spread the warm and positive feelings of the holidays by decorating and submitting a photo. Simply visit the https://winterfestparade.com/winterfest-decorating-contestto upload your images OR upload them on social media using the hashtag: #winterfestdecor on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter. We want everyone to show their lights! When you enter on social media, include your social media handle, a brief description, and a shout-out where your amazing decorations are located (business name, for residents – your city, state … No exact location unless you want people to drive by and gawk!) If you decorated it – we want to see it (boats, homes, businesses, interior/exterior parts of your home … holiday tree, room, dock, balcony, porch, etc.)!  Lots of great prizes will be given out including a $500 Bloomers Frosé Basket to the photo with the most votes in select categories. A few over the top entries will receive the “Griswold Award” which will be selected by the president of the Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors®, Jarrod K. Lowe. We even have a contest for the cutest holiday pets! Voters, we didn’t forget about you – Vote starting November 28th and you’ll be entered for a chance to win round trip travel on Southwest Airlines®.

Are you out and about? Enjoy the Holidays with Winterfest aboard Holiday Lights Cruises on a special decorated Water Taxi or download the Winterfest App to see where Santa will be from November 27th to December 24th as he vacations in Fort Lauderdale. Want to getaway? Check out Winterfest’s Social Media and Crown Wine & Spirits locations and enter to win a two-night stay at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, dinner for (2) two, Southwest Airlines tickets and more. Click on https://winterfestparade.com/contests for all the details on how to enter!

Looking to snuggle more on your comfy couch? Winterfest makes Holiday Shopping, baking, DIY ornament crafting easy with a click to our website. Your family can even enjoy Santa in your home virtually.  This year, Storytime with Santa is a Winterfest virtual experience with the first 100 children that are registered receiving a copy of the book Santa will be reading so kids may read along.. The sight will have the link to see Santa read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas on December 5th. A list of all the holiday excitement is on the Winterfestparade.com site under “2020 holidays.”

And what would Winterfest be without the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade? On December 19th, 25th and 31st, turn on WSVN Channel 7 to watch a trip down memory lane with a retrospective of 49 years of this holiday tradition. For your holiday needs and wishes, go to Winterfestparade.com

For more information on Winterfest, Inc., call 954-767-0686.

Download and Track Santa!

Download the Winterfest App for Winterfest Event Updates, Track Santa and a few of the boats in the Parade including the Grand Marshal Showboat presented by Fifth Third Bank. You can also VOTE for your favorite boat in the Parade! One random voter will win tickets from Spirit Airlines.

Screenshots of the Winterfest Boat Parade App available on Google Play and the Apple App Store
Get the Winterfest App for Android on Google Play
Download for Android
Download the Winterfest App for iOS on the App Store
Download for iOS

Color, shake and play holiday tunes and track Santa on the night of the Parade –  Special thank you to Visit Florida.

Get a Glimpse of Winterfest!

AmericanBand

Baptist

Get your tickets today to see this year’s WOW Showboats!

In honor of this year’s theme “TV’s Greatest Hits” – Winterfest will have an  American Bandstand Barge in the Parade December 13, 2014. Get ready to start singing “I’m on, because I’m on the American Bandstand.”

And what would the Parade be without Santa. The Baptist Health South Florida Showboat will have additional holiday cheer with the nominees of the Winterfest Jr. Captain aboard the entry.