BULLHEAD CITY — Hours before the first decorated boat ever touched the water, spectators were already lining both sides of the Colorado River from Bullhead City to Laughlin on Saturday evening. Families staked out spots along the shoreline to watch more than 30 illuminated entries make their way up and down the river for this year’s Colorado River Christmas Boat Parade.
Among the participants was longtime Bullhead City resident Scott Fancher, owner of Scott’s Ski and ATV Repair. For years, Fancher made the hour‑and‑a‑half drive to attend another community’s boat parade. But once the event launched locally, he knew he wanted to be part of it.
“With the boat, I thought, gosh, you know, I can do that,” Fancher said. “I can take the family, so we did the parade after we decorated up the boat. It was just a good time with the kids and mom and everybody. We just had a ball with it. We did it down there, so then I saw the event start to take place up here and I was really excited because I’d much rather really do something here for our community of Bullhead.”
Fancher’s design this year was a crowd favorite — a glowing sleigh floating across the water.
“I kind of just stood back and looked at it and thought, if I went like this and the lights like this, I could make this look like a big sleigh, lit up on water,” he said. “So that’s where I went with the idea and I ran with it.”
Reindeer, of course, weren’t an option on the river. Instead, Santa’s sleigh was “pulled” by six light‑strung dolphins leading the round trip from the Bullhead Belle to the Laughlin Bridge.
The parade has become a true regional collaboration. Chambers of Commerce from both Bullhead City and Laughlin, along with “Discover Colorado River Valley”, have partnered to promote and grow the event — and the impact is being felt by local businesses and tourism.
Bo Hellams, President of the Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce, said the parade has quickly become one of the area’s signature holiday attractions.
“The Bullhead Belle is the busiest event of the year for the Bullhead Belle, which is the City of Bullhead,” Hellams said. “And then the Laughlin Chamber of Commerce has jumped on as well, supporting the event with a viewing party in Laughlin.”
Now in its fourth year, the parade is proving to be what Hellams calls a “win‑win” for the entire region.
“It’s really rewarding to see, and the entire idea behind Discover Colorado River Valley is the region,” he said. “It’s the whole — it’s bridge to bridge. It’s the entire waterway. We want everyone to come enjoy, and you’ll see tonight along the shorelines, literally thousands of people come to the park.”
With another well‑attended and successful parade now in the books, organizers say the event continues to grow in both participation and community spirit.
