The Ocean Isle Flotilla Ended. Holden Beach Is Lighting Up the Waterway Thanksgiving Saturday Instead.

For 22 years, decorated boats on the Intracoastal Waterway near Ocean Isle Beach marked the start of the Christmas season in south Brunswick County. In September, the organizers announced it was over. A month later, Holden Beach had a plan to light up its own stretch of the ICW on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It will be the island's first flotilla since December 2013.

The old event's dates didn't carry over intact. It split into two separate boat parades on two different weekends. The Holden Beach Flotilla runs on Saturday, November 28. That makes it the one that falls while Thanksgiving guests are still in town, and the Town has made island parking free through the whole holiday stretch.

Why the Ocean Isle Flotilla Stopped

The Brunswick Beacon reported that the organizing committee posted a statement on Wednesday, September 9, calling the 2025 OIB Holiday Flotilla "the end to a great tradition." The flotilla started in 2003. In its final year it raised $52,291 for Brunswick Family Assistance. Organizers had told the paper earlier that the event had become "essentially a full time job" for a small committee. Every year, from September through November, they lined up sponsors, sold shirts, organized judges and prizes, and ran the post-flotilla party.

Two groups stepped in. Their dates sit a week apart for a reason.

How Holden Beach Got the Boats

According to the Brunswick Beacon's coverage of the new event, Jason Murphy had taken part in the Ocean Isle Flotilla for several years. When he heard it would not return, he contacted Holden Beach Marina, and the marina signed on quickly. Ashley Dyer helped move the idea forward. Murphy then teamed up with Keith Smith, a Holden Beach town commissioner, to put the event together with the marina and other community partners.

The fundraising goes to the same place as before. Proceeds benefit Brunswick Family Assistance, the nonprofit that received the Ocean Isle event's final $52,291. The official flotilla site also asks spectators to bring a new, unwrapped toy for local families. The organizers' own description of the event, as quoted by the Beacon:

"We want this to be something families look forward to every year. It's about seeing the boats, enjoying the Christmas lights, bringing people together and having a great time."

Two Parades, Two Weekends

Holden Beach's group didn't pick up the old event alone. Rhonda Bunker, a photographer from south Brunswick County who once organized the Pompano Beach Boat Parade for six years, is reviving the south-county event as the First Annual Boat Parade. Life in Brunswick County reported that she moved it to Saturday, December 5, and stretched the route from Sunset Beach to Shallotte Point. The old flotilla could be seen from roughly the Inlet View restaurant to Sharky's.

She explained the date in that same article. "Some folks who contacted me after I signed on wanted their visiting relatives to witness the parade, and I get that," she said. "But the parade is a tradition for locals, and to ask our hard-working volunteers to sacrifice their Thanksgiving holiday struck me as unfair."

That leaves the Thanksgiving-weekend spot to Holden Beach.

If your relatives fly home Sunday, they can see the November 28 flotilla. The December 5 parade suits whoever stays local.

The Evening, Clock by Clock

The flotilla runs as a short loop that doubles back. Everything happens within about three hours, starting before sunset. Here is the schedule from hbflotilla.com and the Beacon:

1. 4:30 p.m. Pre-flotilla festivities start at Holden Beach Marina, and boats begin staging on the ICW just west of Sailfish Park.
2. 5:15 p.m. Final radio check.
3. 5:30 p.m. The flotilla sets off from Sailfish Park. Holden Beach Police lead it and Sea Tow follows behind.
4. Route Boats head past Provisions, under the Holden Beach Bridge and on to The Wharf Restaurant. They turn around there and head back toward Holden Beach Marina.
5. 6:45 to 7:45 p.m. Judges at the marina score the boats as they come in.
6. About 7:30 to 7:45 p.m. Post-flotilla activities and awards at the marina, followed by after-parties at local restaurants.

The Beacon reports the boats will run about one to two minutes apart. With a 25-boat cap, the line stays visible for a long stretch. Because the route doubles back, anyone watching between Sailfish Park and The Wharf should see each boat twice, once heading out and once on the return. The Holden Beach Bridge sits in the middle of the run, so a spot near it should catch the boats both ways. The marina sees the finish, the judging and the awards. Organizers are encouraging spectators to watch from safe spots along the route.

Parking Is Free All Holiday Season

The Town's parking change fits the flotilla date. At their October 27 meeting, Holden Beach commissioners voted 4–1 to make parking free from November 1 through January 2. The Town's paid parking page now shows that window.

Under the regular schedule, enforcement runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Rates are $5 an hour for up to four hours, $20 a day or $80 for a week. That means the marina's 4:30 start would normally fall in the last half hour of paid time. This year it doesn't.

The meeting recording lays out the numbers behind the vote. Town figures put the lost revenue at about $50,000 for the two months. Parking traffic this year was already running about 16% below last year, and revenue was about $30,000 behind. One commissioner who supported the change said property owners had asked for relief because "this is when their family comes in for Thanksgiving and Christmas." Another member questioned whether property owners would actually be the ones to benefit and suggested discounted annual passes as an alternative. The goodwill argument won the vote.

The Town's rules still limit parking to designated spaces marked with Pay-to-Park signs. Parking on other streets or in rights-of-way is prohibited. The Town's parking table, dated May 2025, shows a cluster of spaces near the bridge. There are 23 on Jordan Boulevard between Ocean Boulevard West and Brunswick Avenue, 24 more from Brunswick Avenue to the pavilion, 24 at Pump Station 1 north of the bridge and 12 on Southshore Drive west of Jordan.

Five Nights Later, the Golf Carts

The flotilla starts a short run of holiday events. On Thursday, December 3, at 6 p.m., the Town holds its annual tree lighting, with entertainment beforehand. The Town is also running a low-speed vehicle and golf cart parade. Every cart has to be street legal and pass a police inspection, and carts that don't comply will be pulled from the lineup. The Parks & Recreation page has the details.

Two days after that, the First Annual Boat Parade runs from Sunset Beach to Shallotte Point. With free parking lasting until January 2, a household can go to the boats on Thanksgiving Saturday, the tree lighting the next Thursday and the south-county parade that weekend without paying to park on the island.

If watching the boats on November 28 has you thinking about a Holden Beach home on the ICW near the flotilla route, Better Beach Sales would be glad to show you that waterfront. Schedule a consultation and experience the coast with us.