On Saturday, Nov. 28, the boats in the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla will line up on the Intracoastal Waterway north of the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge, starting at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m. they will cast off and spend about 55 minutes at no-wake speed, running under the bridge, through Motts Channel and down Banks Channel. Organizers say the weekend draws more than 50,000 attendees a year. The judges watch from one spot. Their reviewing stand is at Atlantic Marine Marina, and the 2026 captains' rules are written around that dock.
The rules are what make this parade look the way it does. Spacing, speed, lighting and themes all follow from the fact that this is a scored contest with $14,500 in prizes. Captains are competing for points, not just putting lights on their boats.
One Dock Decides the Biggest Prize
Captains are told to bring their boats within 100 feet of the Atlantic Marine Marina stand without stopping, turning or spinning. In fact, spins and turns are banned along the whole route. Each boat holds a steady speed and stays within 200 feet of the boat ahead. So nobody gets a showboat pass in front of the judges. Every boat gets the same slow look as it goes by.
Lighting is part of the job too. Each captain has to keep the boat's number well lit and easy to read on both the port and starboard sides, because judges and People's Choice voters use those numbers to score the boats. This year the Flotilla committee will no longer supply the numbers, so captains have to make their own.
Timing matters for spectators who vote. People's Choice is decided by text vote, and any text sent before 6 p.m. is thrown out. Votes only count once the fleet is moving. During the run, captains take their instructions on VHF Channel 68 or by hailer.
The Route, Landmark by Landmark
The official route reads as a run through Wrightsville's own waterways:
- Staging on the Intracoastal Waterway north of the drawbridge onto Wrightsville Beach, with lineup starting at 5 p.m.
- South on the ICW, passing under the Wrightsville Beach drawbridge.
- East through Motts Channel.
- Into Banks Channel, then the full length of the channel.
- The finish at the Coast Guard Station near Masonboro Inlet. The parade isn't over until every boat has cleared the station.
- After that, finished boats turn off through Shinn Creek or dim their parade lights so they stay out of the boats still parading.
That last step explains why the lights seem to vanish near the south end. Boats that are done step aside on purpose so the boats behind them still get the full show. The rules also say that by law, no fireworks of any kind are allowed on the boats. The fireworks that come after the parade are the event's own show, not something fired from the fleet.
How $14,500 Splits Across Eight Prizes
WECT reported on Nov. 5 that registration was open, with eight award categories and more than $14,000 in prize money. Here is how the official entry form divides it:
| 2026 award | Prize |
|---|---|
| Billy Baggett Best in Show | $5,000 |
| Best Powerboat over 31 feet | $1,500 |
| Best Powerboat 23 to 31 feet | $1,500 |
| Best Powerboat under 23 feet | $1,500 |
| Best Non-Motorized Vessel | $1,500 |
| Best Costumes and Crew Spirit | $1,500 |
| Judges' Choice | $1,500 |
| People's Choice, by text vote | $500 |
Best in Show alone is more than a third of the whole purse. The crowd vote is worth one-tenth of that. Most of the money is decided at the reviewing stand, not by phones along the seawall.
Two rules shape how the money spreads out. First, each boat can win only one prize. If a boat scores high enough for two, it takes the bigger one, and the next-highest boat in the smaller category gets that prize. That means one standout boat can't take Best in Show and its size class too, so eight different crews go home with money. Second, captains can't repeat a theme from an earlier year. Even boats that come back every Thanksgiving weekend have to show up with a new idea.
Size classes can change from year to year. Last year's smallest powerboat class was under 22 feet. This year's is under 23 feet.
Last Year's Winning Boats
The Flotilla's website lists the 2025 winners by captain and boat:
- Billy Baggett Best In Show: Captain Josh Reda, Chaos
- People's Choice: Captain Mason King, Ditch Digger
- Costumes & Crew Spirit: Captain Sidney Gulledge, Serendipity
- Best Powerboat Over 31': Captain Bob Bleeker, JB
- Best Powerboat 23'-31': Captain Alex Wilson, Bud Action
- Best Powerboat Under 22': Captain Brent Jernigan, Craig Cat
- Best Non-Motorized Vessel: Captain Jack Holt, WBOCC
- Judges' Choice: Captain Brooks Bridges, TowBoatUS
Since themes can't repeat, none of those winning designs can come back in the same form this year. Any returning captain has to win with something new.
Two Wrightsville Names on the Weekend
Best in Show is named for Billy Baggett. According to his obituary in Port City Daily, he was a managing partner of the family-owned Blockade Runner Beach Resort from the early 1980s until 2022. He founded the Blockade Runner Sailing Center for the public, helped launch the Carolina Cup, and proudly promoted the North Carolina Holiday Flotilla. The obituary also notes that Banks Channel, the stretch the fleet runs at the end of the parade, was his haven. When WECT covered the 42nd Flotilla last November, the event was dedicated to his memory. The station reported that he took part in just about every show, and that the committee said he and his sister helped grow the event into "one of the most treasured coastal traditions in the state."
The Sunday awards ceremony is presented by REDIX in memory of Gordon D. Reddick III, known as "Dee." His obituary on Legacy identifies him as the owner of Redix of Wrightsville Beach. The biggest prize carries the name of a Blockade Runner managing partner, and the ceremony that hands it out honors the owner of Redix.
A Resident Contest Since 1983
The event's local roots go back to the start. A StarNews history of the Flotilla traces it to 1983, when a handful of Wrightsville Beach residents decorated their boats and paraded them down the Intracoastal Waterway. That first year drew about six to eight boats. The same report counted 34 boats and an estimated 50,000 spectators in 2007.
The scale has changed far more than the setup. Registration is capped at 40 boats, filled in the order entries arrive, and each entry costs a nonrefundable $50. The fee is waived for entrants connected to a Flotilla sponsor. The 2026 sponsorship booklet describes the organizer as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit run entirely by volunteers, and it puts attendance at more than 50,000 a year. So a parade small enough to fit inside a 40-boat cap draws a crowd about the size of a stadium. WWAY reported during the 40th anniversary in 2023 that organizers wanted the event to bring people to the beach and support local businesses during the winter offseason.
Captains get more than prize money for taking part. Each registered boat receives two tickets to the Friday kickoff party, entry to the Sunday awards ceremony, professional photos of the decorated boat, and mentions on the event's social media.
The Weekend Built Around the Parade
The contest sets the schedule for the whole weekend, according to the official schedule:
- Friday, Nov. 27: The captains' meeting is at 5:30 p.m. at Wrightsville Yacht Club, followed by a 7 p.m. kickoff party hosted by Bluewater Grill with live music from Spare Change, snacks and a cash bar. The captains' meeting is mandatory. A captain who misses it without permission ahead of time can be disqualified. The party is 21 and over, and tickets are on Eventbrite, where they were listed at $55.20 as of early November. Wilmington Periodontics and Implant Center sponsors the band.
- Saturday, Nov. 28: Day in the Park runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wrightsville Beach Park, with local arts and crafts vendors, food vendors and official Flotilla merchandise at the Flotilla tent. The sponsor viewing tent opens at 5 p.m., the parade starts at 6 p.m., and fireworks follow it. Vendor spaces for the park are sold out. The Wilmington and Beaches CVB lists spectator admission as free.
- Sunday, Nov. 29: The awards ceremony is at 10 a.m., presented by REDIX in memory of Dee Reddick.
For a spot on the water, the CVB's guide to the Flotilla has named South Harbor Island's two mini-parks and the sandy South End facing the Intracoastal Waterway as viewing areas. If you want to see boats at their sharpest, the stretch near Atlantic Marine Marina is where captains are working hardest, holding their spacing and keeping their numbers lit as they pass the judges.
The Billy Baggett Best in Show winner will be announced at the 10 a.m. awards ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 29. Our team at The Waller Team loves watching the island's captains compete each Thanksgiving weekend. If a winter on the water has you thinking about what your own Wrightsville Beach home is worth, request a free home valuation and we'll walk you through it in person.
