2024 Johns Lake Boat Parade - Johns Lake Association

November 23, 2024

2024 Johns Lake Boat Parade

Karen Quill

Johns Lake Holiday Boat Parade
By Karen Quill

This year is the 23rd Annual Johns Lake Boat Parade and with each passing year, boaters and
residents alike look forward to this very special holiday event. We tried something new this year, sending out a survey on Facebook asking for input on the day of the parade and 88% of you chose Saturday!

Given the overwhelming majority opinion, we will continue this pattern in the future.
To help with your holiday planning, please note the parade will be held THE SECOND SATURDAY OF DECEMBER, each year moving forward. We hope this will make it easier for you to plan your festivities at your home, or to participate in the parade. The more boats the merrier! Let’s make 2024 the best parade yet. All you need to do is decorate your boat, gather all your fun family / friends, and come out on the water with us. I promise, you won’t regret it when you see all the excited faces around the lake cheering you on!

We will take the same route this year, starting at the SE corner of Johns Lake at 6:15pm. Next year we will start on the West side of the lake. The parade WILL start on time, so please give yourself plenty of time to position your boat in the parade line.

There is no registration required to participate in the parade. All that is needed is to decorate your boat with lights, be in place for “line up” no later than 6:10pm and be prepared to show some holiday spirit as we motor around the lake! Throughout the years, the residents have shown their appreciation for the parade by hosting gatherings, cheering loudly from the docks / shores, and making sure the boat parade participants know just how much their boat-décor is appreciated.

For Parade Participants:

All boats should gather NO LATER than 6:10pm in the SE corner of Johns Lake near TwinWaters. THIS IS THE SAME LOCATION AS LAST YEAR! The lead boat will start the parade at 6:15pm by blasting an air-horn several times. All boats should follow in-line and slowly head east. Please maintain a small, but safe distance between boats so there are no large “gaps” in the parade line. The parade route will follow the eastern, northern, and western shores of Johns Lake (from TwinWaters in Orange County to Johns Lake Landing in Lake County, where parade ends). The parade will take about 2 hours to complete. Please see the Parade Route Map at the end of this article.

If this is your first time decorating your boat for a parade, here are a few tips:

Christmas lights run on 120v AC and are designed to operate from your home electrical current. To operate lights on your boat, you will need to purchase a DC to AC power inverter. Power inverters are available at most auto parts stores, Wal-Mart, and Harbor Freight. Power inverters convert your boat’s 12v DC power to 120v AC. Inverters do have a limit as to how much power they can generate from your boat’s DC battery. Inverters are rated by watts; the more watts the inverter can handle, the more lights you can put on your boat. Most power inverters above 150 watts will need to be connected directly to your boat’s battery terminals to provide full power as 12v outlet plugs (cigarette lighters) are power limited by a fuse.

The use of LED lights provides the ability to power many more lights than incandescent lights. A 300 watt power inverter connected directly to your battery could power over 600 LED lights as opposed to 60 incandescent lights! Be careful though, as some units will overheat if too much load is placed on them. Test your lights for a period before the parade starts. Make sure you use UL approved outdoor lights as the lights on your boat may get wet and you do not want to cause a fire or shock someone on your boat!

For Parade Participants:

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