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Photo gallery: Fort Myers Beach Christmas Boat Parade

By Nathan Mayberg 4 min read
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The Fort Myers Beach Christmas Boat Parade takes off from Salty Sam's Marina. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
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Back row (left to right): Jeff Comer (left to right), Aymee Comer and Chris Comer of Sanibel. Front row: Emma Comer and Maci Comer of Sanibel. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
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Gloria Abramoff and Penny Jarrett. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
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Gloria Abramoff and Penny Jarrett. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
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Fort Myers Beach Christmas Boat Parade 2025. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
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Adventures in Paradise Capt. Evan Bogdon (left to right), Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak and Adventures in Paradise First Mate Matthew Horrom
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Molly Scott of Chris-Tel Construction and Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak. Photo by Nathan Mayberg
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More than 40 boats took off from Salty Sam’s Marina and proceeded along Estero Bay and Fort Myers Beach for the 37th Fort Myers Beach Christmas Board Parade. The parade was one of the larger renditions of the parade in recent memory and drew a large crowd to Salty Sam’s Marina and other waterfront hotspots.

“All three parking lots are full,” Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce President Jacki Liszak said at Salty Sam’s Marina before takeoff. Liszak, who organized the parade just a couple weeks after putting on the American Sand Sculpture Championship, said “It’s a pleasure to be able to bring it back to the island.”

One of the highlights of the parade was the colorfully decorated boat of Fort Myers Beach residents Dapper and Kim Davidson, who have been partaking in the parade since 2017. Their boats have never disappointed in their decorations.

They had their 18-foot boat in a storage yard during Hurricane Ian three years ago and thought it was a goner after it was swept away. Six weeks later the boat was found about a mile away from the storage yard on top of two other boats while still attached to the trailer. “We thought the boat was gone forever,” Mr. Davidson said. After changing a fuse in the motor, it was good to go despite some damage.

While their boat survived Hurricane Ian, their home didn’t. They are involved in a legal dispute with a contractor over the collapse of their home that was being rebuilt last year. Their Christmas boat on Saturday helped them put aside the thought of that for a night on the bay.

On Saturday, the boat was decked out with beach balls, a Christmas carriage, figurines, lights and homemade holiday decorations. Both ends of the lights that looked like large glowsticks changing colors like they were lighting up as if they were holiday fireworks, changing colors, that Dapper said he spent two years working on. They had four guests with them, enjoying the parade across Estero Bay. The par

“The main theme of the boat this year was a Christmas beach party to celebrate the beach coming back and being reborn,” Davidson said. “There were a lot of good boats out there.”

There was a decided festive atmosphere in the air as boats covered in lights and large holiday decorations, lit up the bay and onlookers pulled up beach chairs at Salty Sam’s Marina and stood along the docks to see the action. Others took in the parade from the marina’s restaurants at Marina Cantina Waterfront Tin Tiki and Parrot Key Caribbean Grill.

The boat parade went under Matanzas Pass Bridge, where other onlookers stood along the bridge to view the parade. The parade went past the waterfront restaurants along Fishermans Wharf and Old San Carlos Boulevard down to the Pink Shell Beach Resort and Marina and back for two loops.

Liszak said the large crowds were indicative of a boost in tourism she is seeing for the beginning of the season. “You can feel something changed in the last month here. The energy shifted and it’s positive and it’s good and people are here. You see people moving around. You see the bars and restaurants full. You can just feel the shift like we turned the corner,” Liszak said.

The Fort Myers Beach Chamber of Commerce thanked the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for keeping the route safe. The chamber also thanked Salty Sam’s Marina, Adventures in Paradise, and Gavin’s ACE Hardware for their sponsorship and support.

The awards party for the boat parade will be held on Thursday at Marina Cantina Tin Tiki at Salty Sam’s Marina from 5:00 -6:30 p.m. Parade participants attend free while additional guests are $5. Light hors d’oeuvres will be provided, with a cash bar available. The People’s Choice Award will be announced that evening.

All photos by Nathan Mayberg/Fort Myers Beach Observer