Crescent City Harbor's Holiday Lights Will Stay at the Dock This Year

Last December, at least one Crescent City boat owner spent a weekend wrapping his vessel in Christmas lights for the harbor's lighted boat parade. Then he learned the parade was off. As Redwood Voice reported, he never got the cancellation notice the Harbor District had sent out that Tuesday.

This year the lights come back, and the event has been rebuilt around what went wrong. There's no parade. On Saturday, December 12, boats and harbor businesses will light up where they already sit and stay lit for a week. The one night that depended on the weather is now a week-long display.

Nine Boats and a Forecast

The 2025 parade came together late. Harbor District fiscal officer Sandy Moreno volunteered to organize it at the board's December 3 meeting. She proposed holding it that same Saturday, and commissioners agreed to give each participant a $25 utility credit.

By the next special meeting, harsh weather was in the forecast and only nine vessels had signed up. Board Chairman Rick Shepherd announced that the parade was canceled. He also said the district had four people covering all of its duties and that "sometimes we try to do too much." He said he wanted an event calendar in place at the start of the year so staff could see events coming well ahead of time.

That's the problem with a holiday boat parade on this stretch of coast in December. Everything rides on one evening. When the forecast turns, there's no backup date, and nine boats don't make much of a parade.

How the Harbor Rebuilt It

The 2026 version went before the Board of Harbor Commissioners on September 30, more than two months ahead of time, and passed unanimously. According to Redwood Voice's recap of that meeting, the Harbor of Lights Festival runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on December 12. Harbor District Office Manager Kristina Hanks said her goal is to get both boat owners and business owners involved.

"We really want the harbor to be like a beacon of light."

That's Hanks speaking to commissioners, as Redwood Voice reported. She asked the board to approve a $20 credit on participants' electricity bills and to allow sponsorships for vessel owners.

Here's what the board approved:

• A $20 power credit for each participating boat, approved in the motion along with a marketing budget of up to $750.
• Prizes paid as moorage and rent credits of $100, $50 and $25 for first, second and third place, with separate prizes for boats and for businesses.
• A discounted vendor rate. Hanks proposed replacing the usual 6% of sales with a flat $20 for a 10-by-10 space or $40 for a 10-by-20 space. She said about 10 vendors had already shown interest.
• A sponsor-a-boat idea. A boater who wants to light up but can't afford it could post on Facebook asking for a sponsor, and the sponsor would be recognized for the support.

The sponsorship idea speaks directly to last year's sign-up problem. A boat owner's main cost is the lights and the power to run them. The credit covers part of the power, and a sponsor can cover the rest. The prizes are paid as credits on harbor bills, so the money stays with the people who keep boats and businesses at the harbor.

The Week After December 12

Hanks said participating vessels and buildings will stay lit for a week after December 12 so people can vote for their favorite display.

That week of voting is the part of the redesign that changes your plans. A parade gave you one window. If it rained that night, or you were at work, or the kids were sick, you missed it. A display that stays lit for a week gives you more than one chance to go. You can do the opening night on the 12th with vendors, then come back on a calm, clear evening that week to look again before you vote.

It also takes most of the weather risk off the organizers. A stormy December 12 might thin the crowd for the opening, but the boats keep glowing all week. The Harbor District's own Harbor of Lights event page describes the festival as "a spectacular display of decorated and illuminated boats," and it's the place to check before you head down.

Downtown Goes First, on Its Usual Friday

The harbor's new event comes eight days after one that has never needed redesigning. The annual Christmas Light Parade and Tree Lighting falls on the first Friday in December every year, so this year it's Friday, December 4. The parade starts at 6:30 p.m. in downtown Crescent City. Lineup starts on 7th Street in front of the police station and wraps around G Street.

The Christmas Tree Lighting follows right after in the downtown Plaza, along with performances, food vendors, merchants and photos with Santa. Festivities are listed until 9 p.m. on the Visit Del Norte County event page.

That gives Crescent City two holiday light events eight days apart, one on land and one on the water. Downtown keeps the same first Friday and the same Plaza every year. The harbor now gives its boats a full week of lit evenings, so one bad night no longer cancels the whole thing.

A Bakery Line on 3rd Street

Between the two, there's a reason to spend some time downtown. The Rising Tide Restaurant and Bakery is taking over 722 3rd Street, the building many locals still know as Glen's on Third. The Del Norte Triplicate reported on October 9 that owners Jim and Margarita Murdock were preparing to open before Thanksgiving.

The general manager is Cody Magana, executive chef at Hiouchi Café. He told the Triplicate he remembers visiting the space as a child, when a family member worked there, and stopping in for a grilled cheese sandwich and a donut. The team restored the building from the ground up, updating everything from the fire suppression system to the layout, while keeping the restaurant-and-bakery format longtime customers remember.

One side of the restaurant has a walk-through bakery line for cake, pie, muffins and bread. The other side offers full-service breakfast, lunch and dinner. "The tide is rising with us," Magana told the paper. "We're the new tide."

Holiday Dates From Here to Mid-December

The Patrick Creek Lodge pop-ups are a longer drive east on U.S. 199, but they run every Thursday on the Visit Del Norte County events calendar, so you can easily pair one with a downtown evening.

If you keep a boat or run a business at the harbor and want in on the Harbor of Lights, the Crescent City Harbor District office is at 101 Citizens Dock Road, and the board approved the $20 power credit and the moorage and rent prizes for participants.

We'll be downtown on December 4 and down at the harbor the week after the 12th like everyone else. If the holidays have you wondering what your Crescent City home might be worth, the team at Green Pacific Real Estate Team is glad to put together a free local market valuation. No pressure, just good local information.