CAPTIVA ISLAND, Fla. (Nov. 13, 2014) – Entries are still being accepted for Captiva Holiday Village’s annual golf cart and lighted boat parades.
Each year, Captiva visitors and locals try to outdo one another by extravagantly decorating their personal or rented golf carts and boats in lights, garland and even plastic flamingos. Fun, festive and sometimes gaudy outfits go along with the tradition.
The Royal Shell Companies Golf Cart Parade begins at South Seas Island Resort at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 and is limited to the first 100 entries. Categories include Commercial, Non-commercial and Best in Show. All entries must incorporate a holiday theme. Rental carts are available through YOLO Watersports on Captiva. The parade route travels from South Seas Island Resort to Andy Rosse Lane then loops around Chapin and Wiles Drive and back past The Green Flash waterfront restaurant before returning to South Seas Island Resort. A portion of the $20 entrance fee will benefit the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation. Each decorated golf cart entry will receive a goodie bag. Prizes will be awarded for the best entries at the awards party following the parade at Chadwick’s Square at South Seas Island Resort. New this year is the “People’s Choice Award.” The public can vote for its favorite entry on the event’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CaptivaGolfCartParade. Photos of the entries will be posted, and the winner will be announced on Dec. 12.
This year’s golf cart parade judges include Erick Lindblad, SCCF’s executive director; Kellie Burns, NBC-2 news anchor; travel writer Steve Winston and iloveshelling.com blogger Pam Rambo.
The Captiva Cruises’ Boat Parade will take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13 just outside Roosevelt Channel, Marker #2. The route will follow Roosevelt Channel to ‘Tween Waters Inn and back. There is no entry fee for the boat parade, and prizes will be given for the best-decorated vessels. Prizes include overnight stays at local accommodations, dining and golf certificates, and water sport packages. A minimum of 100 lights is required for entry but more are encouraged. Best Boat Club & Rentals at South Seas Island Resort will rent boats to resort guests if they want to participate in the parade and decorate and boat. New this year, Roosevelt Channel will have special navigational lighting, making it easier for boats to travel the channel at night.
This year’s boat parade judges are Dave Osborn, editor with Naples Daily News, Jennifer Stacy, WINK-TV news anchor and John Bunch of Operation Open Arms.
To register to enter either of the parades, visit www.CaptivaHolidayVillage.com.
The five-weekend-long Captiva Holiday Village launches its 2014 spectacular the Friday after Thanksgiving with fireworks, tree lightings, holiday readings, musical performances and more.
Each special-themed weekend will be a fun-filled extravaganza of sight and sound, set against the backdrop of the Gulf of Mexico and evening sunsets. In addition to the parades, visitors will enjoy Junkanoo dancers, a luminary, live music and even a Marching Mullet Parade.
South Seas Island Resort will once again host the South Seas Holiday Stroll where attendees can access the resort grounds and marina that will be aglow with lights, entertainment, arts and crafts, and visits with Santa. On Friday and Saturday evenings beginning at 6 from Dec. 12 to 27, South Seas will admit adults for $10 each and children under the age of 12 free of charge with a nonperishable food donation. It also includes a ride on the Jolly Trolley which will run from 6 to 9 p.m. to transport visitors from South Seas’ South Village to North Pointe, where they will exit at Harbourside Bar & Grill and walk along the Marina, where all the events, activities and entertainment will take place.
All proceeds will benefit Community Cooperative, an innovative nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization made up of social service entrepreneurs fighting to end homelessness and hunger in our community. The agency provides more than 14,000 meals each month through its Community Cafés and Marketplace and Meals on Wheels programs. Community Cooperative offers homeless and comprehensive case management services through its Social & Education Resource Centers and oversees emergency mobile food pantries as well as Healthy School Pantries and Food Literacy in Preschool (FLIP) through its Growing Health Kids Programs.
Last year’s event raised $50,000 for the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.
Coastal Living Magazine recently named Captiva the Happiest Seaside Town in Florida.
According to the magazine, “The slender barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico west of Fort Myers has pale, powdery sands graced with more than 250 types of seashells.”
Captiva Island resorts, inns, cottages and vacation homes are also offering lodging specials in conjunction with this year’s event.
To learn more about Captiva Holiday Village, visit www.CaptivaHolidayVillage.com.
The 2014 event schedule:
Friday, Nov. 28
• Tree Lighting and Fireworks at ‘Tween Waters Inn
Saturday, Nov. 29
• South Seas Tree Lighting and Children’s Classic Holiday Reading
• Sunset Arias at ‘Tween Waters Inn
Friday, Dec. 5
• Sunset Arias at ‘Tween Waters Inn
• Sanibel Luminary
• Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Nature of Captiva
Saturday, Dec. 6
• Royal Shell’s Decorated Golf Cart Parade
• Golf Cart Awards & Party
• Captiva Luminary
Friday, Dec. 12
• Mullet March at Jensen’s Twin Palms 30 minutes before sunset.
• Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and Captiva Island Historical Society’s Holiday film at Jensen’s Twin Palms
• South Seas Holiday Stroll
Saturday, Dec. 13
• Fishing & Mullet Festival at Jensen’s Twin Palms all day
• Junkanoo Parade
• Lighted Boat Parade
• Post Boat Parade Party
• South Seas Holiday Stroll
Sunday, Dec. 14
• Carol Sing at Chapel By the Sea
Friday & Saturday December 19 & 20
• South Seas Holiday Stroll
Friday & Saturday, Dec. 26 & 27
• South Seas Holiday Stroll
About Captiva Island
Captiva Island is a barrier island in the tranquil Gulf of Mexico on Florida’s southwest coast. North of Sanibel Island and west of Fort Myers, world-renowned Captiva is also just three hours from Tampa and Fort Lauderdale by car. A narrow seashell-laden island famous for its dramatic sunrises and sunsets, celebrity visitors and creative residents, Captiva is home to private waterfront estates, two large resorts and several charming small inns. The heart of the island is its vibrant ‘downtown,’ coined “the village,” in which visitors and locals stroll among colorful galleries, shops and restaurants with live music and water views. As the gateway to the out-islands within Pine Island Sound, Captiva is also a watersports destination and offers boaters multiple marinas with overnight dockage. It has been featured in countless magazines and newspapers around the world.
