COVID-19 dims 2020 edition of San Diego Bay Parade of Lights

The annual San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, scheduled for Dec. 13 and 20 this year, has been canceled due to COVID-19.

The annual event, now in its 49th year, canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions

San Diego Union-Tribune

Nov. 24, 2020 9:58 AM PT

San Diego’s waterfront will look and feel less festive this year because the annual San Diego Parade of Lights has been canceled.

The event has been a San Diego holiday tradition since it began 49 years ago, bringing festive cheer to the bay on two consecutive Sundays in December, with more than 80 decorated boats sailing along the waterfront starting at Shelter Island and ending at the Coronado Ferry Landing.

This year’s edition — themed “The Twelve Days of Christmas” — had been scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 and 20.

“Our No. 1 priority is safety, and this year, large crowds associated with the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights are not advisable due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Larry Baumann, the parade’s chairman, said in a statement.

“We know how much our residents and visitors love the parade, and this was a very difficult decision. But in consulting with port, city, county and state experts, canceling the parade was the right decision.”

The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights normally attracts more than 100,000 people, who watch the colorful maritime display from various vantage points along the waterfront.

The parade’s board and committee expect to hold the event in 2021, according to a statement.

For more information, go to sdparadeoflights.org.

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Michael James Rocha

Michael James Rocha is the digital creative director at the Union-Tribune. He oversees the online presentation of Union-Tribune stories online and has oversight of the photo and graphics teams. Most recently, he was the arts and entertainment editor. During his tenure, the Union-Tribune’s Sunday arts section was named the best in the nation two years in a row (2021 and 2022). Michael started his career at the Union-Tribune in December 1997 as a features page designer. He eventually became the features design editor, managing a staff of 15 designers and 17 features sections. Through the years, he has done stints as the front page designer, audience development editor and home decor editor. He previously wrote a monthly column on outdoor living, which focused on outdoor decor. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications (with an emphasis on print journalism) from California State University-Fullerton in 1994. He is a founding member of the Asian American Journalists Association’s San Diego chapter, and he has taught magazine writing, editing and design at Point Loma Nazarene University. He also loves dogs.