PDX Christmas - The Christmas Ship Parade

The Christmas Ship Parade is a tradition that goes back to 1954, though it has grown and developed since then. This was the first year I had been to see it.

 There are both Willamette and Columbia River parades, with some nights having a combined fleet. Check the schedule for where and when and special events.

 Those schedules give you a start time and the path followed, but there can be some variation on where the ships arrive when.

 I parked myself in Tom McCall Waterfront Park near the Portland Spirit Dock. With the parade starting at 7 PM, I was first positive that there were ships coming into view at 7:30, and the last of them had passed by 7:45.

 That may not sound like much. Obviously you can see the ships for a while on the approach and on the departure.

 When I mention being positive on whether or not they were coming, there were lights I could see, but that were not clearly approaching me. My position was not terribly far from their starting point, and I suspect there is some arranging and getting into position that takes a while.

 So, if I wanted the most bang for my buck viewing wise, I think I would choose one of the places that the ships turn around, like at the Fremont Bridge, and watche there. In theory it should be possible to see the ships pass by, turn, and pass again.

 One of the points to consider may be how long you want to spend outside.

 See, here is a thing that I did not spend enough time considering.  This is an activity that you do in December, at night, on the water. It gets really cold.

 Obviously dressing warmly is a good idea. Moving around can help a little, but not as much as a hat and gloves.

 One more thing about it happening at night: even though it is cold and dark, people are still using the park for jogging and biking, so be aware of the traffic around you. Everyone is harder to see.

 There are possibilities for inside viewing as well, like certain restaurants and boats. I felt like it was a better view - more flexible but certainly also cheaper - to be outside, but yes, it was noticeably colder. Consider the needs of your viewing party.

Taking all of that into consideration, it is pretty cool. The decorations are fun (my photos do not fully demonstrate that), and it feels like a very Portland thing.

The length of the parade is short, but you can easily access viewing from either side of the river, so it should be easy to pair the parade with dining or shopping, as long as you have some time flexibility.

Many of my Christmas reviews are going to be for things that are already over for the year, but the Christmas Ships will continue to parade through December 20th.

https://www.christmasships.org/