Unfortunately, the last weekend marked the final San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade (SPHBP.) Or so I thought. I could totally understand why it could be the last (a second time) however I learned thanks to facebook peeps, the San Pedro Town Council is going to keep the fun Christmas lighted boat parade tradition next year on Ambergris Caye. I am waiting to find out of they are choosing a new name to operate the parade under.
Maybe someone will start a daytime inflatables boat parade also. That would be a super fun party and it would eliminate generator problems. My pictures below are from my previous upper duplex apartment. At that point in time, my friend Cindy lived below and it was a great mission accomplished to make our pool fun-filled to enjoy with friends. Imagine how colorfully tricked out you could make a boat.
And these pics were only about 3/4 of when we were at maximum floaty to capacity. At the time there was a really good season stock at the shops and many vacationing friends made contributions. Countless people enjoyed hours of island girl style pool therapy. It was perfection and I am enjoying the memory recall.
Winners Circle
I love that the SPHBP really pushed charities to get involved more. Over the years I was lucky enough to participate on two boats that way. This year I was just happy to highlight two great charities among the few that participated.
Best Charity Boat ($2,000): Belize Tourism Industry Association San Pedro Chapter
Boat: SeaStar Belize & The Dive Bar Sponsor: The Truck Stop
Santa putting trash in the can and Captain Conch was a great effort at making education festive and fun. You saw the other side of this boat in my featured image above.
2nd place ($2,000): ACES / American Crocodile Education Sanctuary
Boat: “Wayo Not” by Wayo’s Beach Bar Sponsor: Sandbar Beachfront Hostel and Restaurant.
ACES is a very skilled conservation group and talented boat designers another great showstopper of an entry.
This next pic takes you back to the beginning as people were claiming their dock space to watch the parade go by. The Coconut Trio was live in the background while they waited and socialized. Not a bad way to celebrate winter 😀
Palapa Bar and Grill is a great place to listen to live music. They have the Coconut Trio on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. They also host a guitar circle on Mondays and always have guest musicians coming in.
Upcoming New Year’s Eve party – DJ 70’s-80’s-90’s music. Also included, jello shots complimentary champagne at midnight and a great view of the fireworks in town. New Years Day Hangover Party – make your own bloody marys, live music from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.
More Winners
Best of Show (1st place – $4,000): Jody Leslie and Team Chingon, self-sponsored
3rd place ($750): Kids in Action
Boat & Sponsor: San Pedro Tour Operators Association
4th place ($500): QE Toon, self-sponsored – they donated their winnings to Holy Cross School Belize!
Special mention to SailBelize Native Tours for entering their boat all the way from Caye Caulker!
(Winner’s list provided by San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade Facebook page)
I will leave you with a few pics of everyone’s hard work. Congratulations to all entries, everyone did a fantastic job.
As you will see in the picture below, the Sandbar area was very busy and filling up fast for the awards ceremony. I am sure pizzas were flying. They make them super tasty there and have very easy delivery options.
I would like to give special thanks to the San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade for carrying the torch for so long – since 2012. You definitely deserve an award for doing an amazing job at taking on a herculean task the past seven years. I am not a huge Christmas girl but this event has always helped me find some spirit.
San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade would like to thank everyone that made this last year’s parade possible. (A bit below also courtesy of their Facebook page)
They would also like to congratulate all the winners of the bittersweet final 2019 holiday Boat Parade, and one last nod of appreciation to everyone who supported the event. There were many hard-working elves and once again, they made magic to put this event together.
Prize sponsors for the event: Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize Tourism Board, Sandbar Beachfront Hostel and Restaurant, Captain Shark’s Belize, Castillo’s Hardware Co. Ltd.
Another huge show of gratitude to additional cash prize and startup light sponsors and viewing stations of this year’s parade: Hurricane’s Ceviche Bar, Wayo’s Beach Bar, Sandy Toes Beach Bar & Grill, Sandbar Beachfront Hostel and Restaurant, Palapa Bar and Grill, Fido’s Beach Bar, Estel’s Dine By the Sea, Crazy Canucks Beach Bar
Thank you to The San Pedro Sun for the amazing support and media sponsorship throughout the years of this annual tradition! See more great parade coverage on their website including high-quality boat pictures and the after-party, with some great group awards shots.
Finally, a very big thank you to Island Dream Tours – YOLO for providing the VIP viewing boat, with all proceeds being donated to Hope Haven – Belize!
Best Pupusas in Town
As for the best pupusas, Pupuseria El Salvadoreño on Middle Street wins hands down against Waruguma for me. Why? Because they let you get three ingredients in them versus two. My favorite is spinach, cheese, and squash – so gooey and yummy. A few friends and I ended up there after the parade. Kay, Rosemary, and Emily all agree.
They are made from cornflower generally however there are rare times when they get rice special flower from El Salvador which is supposed to be very tasty. I have not had the opportunity to try one yet.
