Lights on the Lake

Merry Christmas!


Continuing from yesterday's entry, the four of us settled in for the Fantasy of Lights Boat Parade on Tempe (AZ) Town Lake.

The theme of this year's parade was "Santa's Workshop."

The entries could either be human powered watercraft (kayaks, canoes, paddleboats, sailboats, row boats) or motorized boats (the only time each year that gas powered boats are allowed on Tempe Town Lake).

The required lighting minimums for participation were: 500 lights (human powered boats) and 2,000 lights (motorized boats).

The names of the winners were announced online, but they were only identified by the person's name. Since there were no programs or public address announcer identifying the entrants, I can only show the photos of the entries and let you judge them.

The parade route called for the boats to pass near the shore we were on, then proceed to the light rail bridge (shown below), head to the other shore, and return to the starting area.

In the background is a boat along the opposite shore.

The evening ended with a brief fireworks display.

For people accustomed to spending mid-December indoors watching parades on television, this was a welcome change.