MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) – Thousands of people will line the banks of the Potomac River on Saturday to watch the 24th annual Holiday Boat Parade of Lights in Old Town Alexandria.
On Friday, DC News Now spoke with the Smith family who has participated in the parade for more than a decade. They said the best part about it is that it brings out the holiday spirit in everyone.
Needless to say, preparing for the parade is nothing new for the Smiths.
“We used to decorate the house for many years,” Tim Smith said. “Now, it’s a boat.”
“We just love it,” he continued “The kids love it. We bring our family out and friends. We all come and see the people on the dock.”
They say something that keeps them coming back is the strong sense of community they’ve created with dozens of other boaters over the years.
“We’ve got boaters from Mount Vernon,” Smith said, “we’ve got boaters from Aquia, there’s some people coming all the way from around the Chesapeake Bay.”
Although the parade is a friendly competition to see which of the 50-plus boats has the best decorations, the Smiths say it’s never been about that for them.
“I’ve got people that made stuff for our boat,” he explained. “To put on our boat for signage and Christmas lights. We’ve helped other people with their signage.”
They say it is about having fun and putting on a great show for everyone who comes out for the parade.
“It is so much fun,” Carmen Smith said. “Just to see the joy of these children and the parents and the pictures. I figure we’ve been on a couple Christmas cards maybe. It’s just a great tradition and we wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
The Smiths won first place for their decorations back in 2020.
The Holiday Boat Parade of Lights is on Saturday, Dec. 7, starting at 5:30 p.m. in Old Town Alexandria.
