Holiday boat parade and Tri-City festivals kick off tonight

Get in the holiday spirit starting Friday night with the annual lighted boat parade and Richland’s Festival of Lights.

Holiday-decorated boats will parade along the Columbia River starting in Kennewick at 6 p.m. Friday and on again Saturday.

The boats begin under the cable bridge at Clover Island and sail past Columbia Park and Columbia Point, turning around at Howard Amon Park in Richland about 7:30 p.m. They return to the Clover Island marina about 9 p.m.

You can watch the parade from Columbia Park or see them from HAPO’s Festival of Lights.

The festival begins at 5:30 p.m. at John Dam Plaza, with live music and free hot chocolate and kettle corn while supplies last.

Activities continue at 7 p.m. at nearby Howard Amon Park, where attendees can see the boat parade and visit with Santa, keeping the chill away by warming fires and snacking on treats.

Games, a movie and crafts are planned at the Richland Community Center, and the Allied Arts’ Gallery at the Park is having a Christmas Market.

Similar activities are planned Saturday.

Also, Saturday, the second annual Numerica Hometown Holiday event is 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in downtown Kennewick. It begins with a parade, followed by selfies with Santa and more.

And in Pasco, Winterfest is 2-6 p.m.  Saturday at Volunteer Park, 1125 N. Fourth Ave, Pasco. 

Celebrate the holidays with music, food, vendors and a tree lighting. A holiday food drive is planned and there will be a wine and beer garden for those 21 and older. 

The Festival of Lights at John Dam Plaza continues Dec. 7-8 and 14-15, with accompanying activities at the Richland Community Center.

More online: richlandparksandrec.com.

The annual luminaria event in Pasco was canceled earlier this year. Organizers say on the event’s Facebook page that there’s still hope to revive the 33-year-old event in 2019.

“Please note this decision did not come lightly and the amount of work that goes into this event grows larger and larger every year,” said organizers.

This story was originally published November 29, 2018 at 6:16 PM.