Free Community Seating for Petaluma’s Lighted Boat Parade

Petaluma’s Lighted Boat Parade is unlike any other—because our city was built around the Petaluma River itself. In 1922, the Turning Basin was dredged from a natural river oxbow to welcome the many boats that once traveled directly into the heart of town. By the early 1900s, Petaluma ranked as California’s third-busiest port (after San Francisco and Sacramento), with the Turning Basin as its lively hub.

Today, this same spot has become a joyful gathering place—where people stroll the riverfront, launch boats from The Floathouse, and enjoy events like SUP Yoga, Bands on the Basin, Witches & Wizards on the Water, and, of course, the dazzling Lighted Boat Parade organized by our own Petaluma Yacht Club.

More than 30 brilliantly illuminated boats will glide into the basin around 6:30 p.m., circling the curve of the river before docking downtown by the Yacht Club.

✨ Free Community Seating will be available on the brand-new public docks ringing the basin, offering an unbeatable waterline view of the spectacle. Seating begins at 5:30 p.m., with wristbands required for dock access. We will announce “sales” on December 1st.

🪑 Registration link goes live December 1st right here and on our social media channels—space is limited, so don’t wait!

🚤 Want to enter a boat in the parade (motorized or people-powered)? Register here via the Petaluma Yacht Club’s form.