The 41st Annual Flotilla Boat Parade: A Wrightsville Beach tradition

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NC (WWAY) –This weekend, the 41st Annual Flotilla Boat Parade set sail in Wrightsville Beach.

The two-day celebration kicked off on Friday with a pre-parade party, followed by “A Day in the Park” on Saturday.

Wrightsville Beach Park was filled with over 80 local vendors from across the Cape Fear and beyond, offering a wide variety of goods and treats.

Boaters, who have been preparing for the event all year, were excited to showcase their holiday spirit.

Levi Boyd, Chairman of the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla, expressed his excitement for this year’s festivities: “I’ve been involved now for four years and every year they have gotten bigger and better, so the competition gets stiffer every year. But we are so thankful for our captains because without them we wouldn’t have the flotilla. It’s an annual tradition, I would imagine we are on maybe three generations or so of people that make this their holiday tradition. So yeah, it’s a big fun event!”

After strolling through the park, the parade and fireworks lit up the water around 6 p.m., with more than 20 boats participating. Attendees also had the chance to vote for their favorite boat.