Flotilla registration still open

If you go …

What: Carolina Christmas Flotilla

When: Saturday at 5:30 p.m.

Where: Union Point Park downtown

To join: Register your boat for free by calling 252-639-2902.

For 25 years, Christmas in New Bern has included a flotilla of decorated boats gliding along the confluence of the Neuse and Trent rivers at Union Point Park.

But this year, boaters have been slow to register their vessels, and city workers want to remind people that there is still time to join the Coastal Christmas Flotilla this Saturday.

“Every year, boaters seem to wait later and later to register, but I am expecting to have at least 20 boats by the time it’s time to line up,” said Nicole Dewar, one of the event coordinators. The flotilla is sponsored by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, and begins at 5:30 p.m.

Registration is free, and any boater who wants to participate in the flotilla can pick up a form at the West New Bern Recreation Center on Pine Tree Drive or can call 252-639-2902. Boaters are encouraged to decorate their vessels with lights or to use holiday themes, and there is a mandatory meeting for captains Saturday at noon at the Hilton downtown.

So far, the flotilla will feature eight vessels, including some from New Bern, Havelock and Oriental. In previous years, boaters have come from as far away as Greensboro to have their vessels featured in the floating parade of lights. Last year, 17 boats were part of the flotilla.

“The flotilla is one of the major kickoffs of the holiday season in New Bern,” Dewar said. “People plan their downtown outings around it, their dinners around it, and their visits to New Bern around it. Because this is our 25th year, we are hoping to put together something that is really spectacular.”

The flotilla will begin with holiday and patriotic music from the Craven Community Concert Band, and when it is over, Santa Claus will greet children at the Union Point Park gazebo.

Nikie Mayo can be reached at 252-635-5665 or nmayo@freedomenc.com.