Thousands of holiday lights, giant whale sculptures, a surfing Santa and the popular Kiss Me Lane photo opportunity are stirring up holiday excitement at Dana Point Harbor.
Blue-and green-lighted palm and pine trees line the medians along Dana Point Harbor Drive and giant Christmas trees surround the harbor’s entrance. There’s a candy cane lane that starts at Coffee Importers and a light tunnel spanning the walkway to Dana Wharf.
“It’s a very festive and popular event throughout Orange County to see the harbor,” said Bryon Ward, of Burnham-Ward Properties and part of Dana Point Harbor Partners, the Newport Beach developer group that is giving Dana Point Harbor a $330 million renovation. “It’s a great tradition and we’ve made a commitment to maintain that and build upon it.”
On Friday, Nov. 22, lights went on around the entire harbor. It took a team of 20 people many, many hours to get everything in place.
New this year are lights along the harbor’s island and around all the railings throughout the commercial core. There will also be a Volkswagen bus photo booth, visits from Santa Claus and live music.
“The lights go on and it is as if they have always been on,” said Jim Miller, who operates Coffee Importers and this year celebrated his 40th anniversary. “Everyone is super excited and the harbor fills up with families. I think the new owners have stepped it up this year, lighting the island side, making the harbor very festive.”
Throughout the weekend, shops and restaurants are offering specials. The harbor’s two whale watch charters – Dana Wharf Whale Watching and Capt. Dave’s Dolphin Safari and Whale Watching – are hoping people will opt for a gray whale Friday and weekend, instead of hitting the malls for deals.
“Last year we had a record 450 people come out on Gray Friday,” Donna Kalez, who operates Dana Wharf Whale Watching, said Friday morning. “Conditions are a bit choppy today, but we still had 100 people go out on the boats. We should have great whale-watching this weekend; we have a clearing wind coming through. It’s the kickoff to the gray whale season and for many, it’s a family tradition.”
Dana Wharf is offering 40 percent off on gift cards for whale watching and sportfishing through Monday, Dec. 2. Capt. Dave’s will offer 20 percent off for people who use the code: giftcaptdaves. That discount is good until Dec. 14 and also works for gift cards.
On Friday, Dec. 6, “Tiki Holiday,” the 45th Annual Boat Parade of Lights starts up. More than 75 boats are expected to participate.
Dana Point Harbor Partners will make a $1,000 donation to the charity or youth sailing program that has the most boat entries. It will also distribute $10,000 to winners of the various categories. The boat parade will run over two weekends, ending on Dec. 14. Festivities in the harbor start with live music and other entertainment, including a visit from Santa at 4:30. The boat parade begins at 7:30 p.m.
Don’t forget to get your hot cup of Nog-A-Chino at Coffee Importers, its a house specialty and is only offered during the holiday season.
“The boat parade truly captures the essence of Dana Point,” Ward said.
"Dana" - Google News
November 30, 2019 at 11:32PM
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662,000 lights gleaming in Dana Point Harbor for the holidays and there’s more to come - OCRegister
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