From Thursday, December 10 through Sunday, December 20, Balboa Island's lit houses are scored by the Balboa Island Improvement Association's contest judges, toured on foot and passed by the Christmas Boat Parade twice a night, with only Monday the 14th off.
The rest of the season, from the tree at Marine and Park to the takedown on January 3, builds up to those ten nights or winds down after them.
The ten nights at a glance
| Date | What's happening | Who is looking |
|---|---|---|
| Thu. Dec. 10 to Sat. Dec. 12, 6:30 to 10 p.m. | Preliminary contest judging | BIIA judges, from the street |
| Sat. Dec. 12, 5 p.m. | Contest entry deadline | |
| Sun. Dec. 13, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 28th Annual Holiday Home Walking Tour | Ticket holders, inside six homes |
| Tue. Dec. 15, 6:30 to 10 p.m. | Final contest judging | BIIA judges, from the street |
| Wed. Dec. 16 to Sun. Dec. 20, about 7:45 to 8:11 p.m. on the island | Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade | Boats on the South and North Bayfronts |
It starts at Marine and Park on December 6
The island's community Christmas tree stands at Fire Station #4, on the corner of Park and Marine Avenues. In 2023 the Newport Beach Independent reported that the tree has stood at that corner since the 1940s, with BIIA handling the trimming and installation and city and contract crews helping.
BIIA's July–September 2026 newsletter puts Tree Lighting & Snow Day on Sunday, December 6. In 2025 it ran from 4 to 6 p.m. at the fire station, 124 Marine Ave., with snow, cider, cookies, popcorn and candy, Santa and Mrs. Santa, and caroling at dusk. BIIA's December 2025 notice also said the All-American Boy's Chorus would attend and named the Balboa Island Merchants Association as co-sponsor. Expect the 2026 program to follow that pattern, and watch BIIA's site for the exact start time.
Little Island holds its members-and-families Holiday Party the night before, Saturday, December 5, from 5 to 9 p.m. Its event listing shows the location as still to be determined.
The tree lighting comes four days before the first judging night, which leaves anyone entering the contest that window to get every strand working.
The judges score the street side
BIIA's Holiday Home Decorations Contest is open to all Balboa Island residents. Applications open November 16 and are due by 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 12. The rules spell out where the judges stand:
"Judging will be based on curb appeal as viewed from the street only. Only decorations on the street side of the property will be judged. Corner lots will be judged from both streets."
Window decorations count if they can be seen from outside. Judges score creative use of lights and decorations, display and placement, coverage, overall appeal and presentation. Because preliminary judging runs from 6:30 to 10 p.m. on December 10, 11 and 12, with finals on December 15, BIIA asks entrants to keep lights and animations running on every judging night.
The winner's name is engraved on the BIIA Holiday Home Decorations Contest Perpetual Trophy, which is displayed in the Balboa Island Museum. Every top-scoring home gets a keepsake garden flag, and winners are announced by email and in The Bridge. Entering also gives BIIA permission to publish photos of the house on its website and in its newsletters.
The contest is separate from BIIA's Light Pole Challenge. In 2025 that program gave awards for Best Kids, Best Block, Traditional, Whimsical and Most Creative, and those categories belonged to the light poles, not to the house contest.
Sunday the 13th falls between the two judging rounds
The 28th Annual Balboa Island Holiday Home Walking Tour is on Sunday, December 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It comes the day after preliminary judging ends and two days before the finals. That afternoon, six decorated homes open their doors, and BIIA's tour page says each has its own style, from traditional trees and wreaths to creative displays and set holiday tables. You can start at any participating home.
Tickets cost $50 per person, and the tour goes ahead rain or shine with no refunds. Sales at shops started November 2. Here's where to buy:
- On the island: Crush Clothing and Sunny Days, both on Marine Avenue
- Corona del Mar: Bliss Home Design on Pacific Coast Highway
- Newport Beach: Seaside Gallery & Goods on Tustin Avenue
- Costa Mesa: Where's the Party on 17th Street
- Online: through biia.org
The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce listing says tickets bought online can be picked up on tour day at the Balboa Island Fire Station, 124 Marine Ave., from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. That's the same corner as the community tree. The tour supports BIIA, and its 2025 holiday notice described the event as a fundraiser for island beautification and BIIA programs. Anyone who wants to work the tour instead of walking it can sign up as a docent and greet guests in the homes.
Marine Avenue gets busy that afternoon. Visit Newport Beach confirms that the Holiday Market returns to The Royal Hen on Marine Avenue on December 13, running 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the same hours as the tour. The Chamber listing also encourages tour guests to shop along Marine and Agate Avenues. BIIA warns that street parking is limited and suggests carpooling, rideshare or the ferry.
Then the parade circles the island twice a night
The final judging night, Tuesday the 15th, is the last evening before the boats arrive. The 118th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade runs December 16 through 20 and leaves the tip of Lido Isle at about 6:30 p.m. each night. The official 2026 route map gives the estimated times as the parade goes around Balboa Island:
- 7:45 p.m., Balboa Island Bridge
- 7:48 p.m., Little Island Beach
- 7:51 p.m., Little Island Point
- 7:54 p.m., Balboa Island South Bayfront and Grand Canal
- 8:01 p.m., Balboa Island Ferry Landing
- 8:03 p.m., Collins Island
- 8:07 p.m., Balboa Island North Bayfront
- 8:11 p.m., back at the Balboa Island Bridge
The boats are on the island's shoreline for about 26 minutes and pass the bridge twice, at 7:45 and again at 8:11, on their way toward Harbor Island and the PCH Bridge. On the South Bayfront the parade arrives around 7:54. On the North Bayfront it comes about 13 minutes later. These are planned estimates, and the parade's own guidance is to arrive early.
For a house that's on the water and also entered in the contest, Wednesday's first parade night is the seventh night of the run. The same lights have to stay on through Sunday the 20th.
Behind the lights, restoration work continues
All of this happens on an island that's still finishing its underground utility project. In a July 31 update, BIIA said street and alley restoration would begin in August, rebuilding every street disturbed during construction. The next areas on its list were the south bayfront alleys, two Marine Avenue alleys and Park Avenue, which is where the community tree stands.
The same update said about 250 homes needed to connect to the new underground electrical system through licensed electrical contractors hired by the homeowners. The remaining overhead lines can come down only after those connections are made. AT&T was also installing fiber in the alleys. BIIA said the City of Newport Beach keeps a current list of contractors and that some blocks were teaming up to get competitive bids. The city's construction rules page lists Balboa Island as a high-density area with Saturday noise restrictions, and it doesn't describe a holiday-season shutdown. If your block is on the restoration list, plan holiday deliveries and guest parking around the crews rather than counting on December being quiet. This is general information, not legal or financial advice, so confirm your home's connection requirements with the city and a licensed contractor.
BIIA's calendar closes the season on Sunday, January 3, 2027, with Holiday Decorations Takedown.
If your house is going to be on the tour route, in the contest or in view of the parade this month and you're thinking about what that kind of presentation is worth when the time comes to sell, Weir Properties can walk you through how bayfront and island homes show to buyers. Request a Home Valuation, and we'll start with your street.