2009 marks
the 55th year for the Christmas Ship Parade on the Columbia and Willamette
Rivers in Portland, Oregon. Please click on the Willamette
or the Columbia Schedule links for complete
schedules with route details including viewing locations and times for
restaurants, hotels and outdoor viewing.
The Christmas Ship Fleet averages
about 55 to 60 boats between the two Columbia
and Willamette River
fleets. Both fleets will be out every night for two weeks beginning
December 9, 2008 and running through December 20, 2009. The fleet will do a
special performance in Camas, WA on Dec. 5th. As we are an all
volunteer organization, not all the boats make it out every night.
Without the donations from the
restaurants and the hotels along the waterfront, this parade would not be
possible. Please book your Christmas parties at our sponsoring restaurants and
hotels. They are listed by viewing dates on the fleet schedule links with phone
numbers and links to their websites. Their donations are used to pay for our
required "Event Insurance Policy". Each Christmas Ship skipper
pays his own fuel costs and receives no money from the donations. Christmas
Ships, Inc is a non-profit organization.
If you are interested in joining
the Christmas Ship Fleet, please click here for
information.
Weather
and/or water conditions are the only element that will cancel the ships performance. That determination
is made by the leaders for the evening about a half hour before the ships are
scheduled to begin performing and will be posted here.
