eastport yacht club annapolis

Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade

December 14, 2024, from 6 - 8 p.m, the eastport yacht club's lights parade to celebrate its 42nd year in 2024.

The magical Eastport Yacht Club Lights Parade takes place along the Annapolis Harbor and Spa Creek on the second Saturday in December every year. This annual tradition has been delighting holiday revelers for 40 years!

It all began in the 1980s when  Eastport Yacht Club  (EYC) started. Back then, the club was based in a fourth-floor room with a tiny bar in a complex in what is now  Annapolis City Marina . Some of the earliest members lived on boats in that marina and used the club as their living room, especially after the weather got cooler. Feeling the spirit (pun intended) one December night, a few took to their boats and tooled around the harbor, singing Christmas carols.  1

Because it was so much fun, the EYC members decided to build upon the parade by adding lights to decorate their boats, making it an annual tradition. Although several tour operators sell packages during the lights parade, where you can watch the event on the water, the event is free. (Click here for more tours.) Now, it is an officially sanctioned and sponsored event on the Annapolis & Anne Arundel County holiday calendar.

Where to Watch

Book a cruise, join a friend's boat or watch from the Annapolis city front or Spa Creek Bridge. More great viewing spots are at the end of any street in downtown Annapolis that ends at the water. Pocket parks in Eastport and Murray Hill are also great vantage points for sipping some cocoa and watching the boat parade sail by.

To learn more about the parade's history, read this great blog on Annapolis Discovered .

1  Quote taken from the blog:  Behind the Mask: Tom Stalder & the History of the EYC Lights Parade

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Eastport Yacht Club

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317 First St

Annapolis, MD 21403

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EYC is always lovely. The atmosphere is chill and unpretentious. The people are friendly. They have the cutest events for adults and kids. Last night they were showing a movie out back in the grass overlooking the water. The regular menu is great. Lots of options for all kinds of eaters. The event menus can be a little lacking but the staff will make special requests if you ask. The staff are friendly and very kind.

Went there recently at 90+ F and their AC was out. Limited menu selection, not likely will go back. Service was above average

We came here as part of the "reward/fun" portion of our 2-1/2 day Board Meeting in Annapolis. And the planners had a reception on the patio portion of the Club after our boat (not yacht nor sail) cruise ride. Drinks available as we mingled with each other along with local guests from the Baltimore Section and including one from Naval Academy. We then proceeded to the buffet style dinner . . Various options from mozzarella & tomatoes, crab dip & bread, Mac & cheese, beef tenderloin (petite size and tender - I don't really like steak that much but was looking for protein) and then realize the other side had mini crabcakes! I used the veggies from the platter to dip into the crabdip. Since the room we were in was also how the wait staff entered/exited from the kitchen, it was very noisy as different people were rushing in or out. It seemed like all of our wait staff were good.

Great dinner with a view

Horrible food. Service is top notch but cannot compensate for bad food specials horrible and waited for over 30 minutes for dessert finally cashed out without it

Great kitchen with very good pub food. One of the best views in Annapolis. Regular specials at eastportyc.org. Very good happy hour prices.

Hey! I'm with the Sea Scouts sailing group ya'll recently were so great to host, and I just wanted to say how wonderful a time I had, thanks so much for everything, it was so great to meet Ms. Burke, and I can't wait to again next cross paths! Thanks!

I was excited to go back to the Eastport yacht club after several years. The club has been tastefully renovated but done in a way that it is still comfortable. The food was good and I would love to go back if invited back.

The view from the bar at Eastport Yacht Club

Best View of Annapolis. Bring your yacht club card and enjoy the great views in the newly built club house. Great treat!

One of my happy places! Eastport has great food and wonderful drinks at amazing prices, not to mention the incredible views. This is a great place to enjoy a drink after work, a weeknight boat race, and great company. Great people, wonderful, relaxed atmosphere. Truly a wonderful place.

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Yacht Clubs

Eastport Yacht Club

Not your traditional blue blazer club, EYC is built on activity, on the water and ashore. Its members are involved in a diverse range of boating activities, supported by social events and strong camaraderie. Known for a million-dollar view of the Severn River and Annapolis, EYC also is recognized in the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond as a club capable of managing major championship regattas, Friday night Beer Can races, and everything in between, as well as providing great social networking for cruising, parties, and charity events. It’s all about life on the water, and all about fun. All members are encouraged to volunteer and serve on committees so that EYC will continue to develop by the membership and for membership. Eastport Yacht Club has become a vital part of the community while continuing to be a fun place.

Stories from Eastport Yacht Club

Although the idea of an Eastport Yacht Club had been discussed since at least the early 1970’s, the actual organization was the result of the informal Friday night social gatherings at the offices of Kaufman & Ladd, Naval Architects on Severn Avenue in the Eastport section of Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A. During the spring of 1980, eleven of the regulars at these gatherings formed a steering committee with the intention of forming the Eastport Yacht Club.

By October, two hundred people had been selected who were considered as appropriate for the charter membership and invitations were sent out. No restrictions concerning race, creed, or sex were considered in the selection of these charter members. The number of invitations was limited by the number of persons who perhaps could fit into the upstairs of Marmaduke’s Pub, where the first meeting of the charter members convened on October 13, 1980.

The idea of the club was received with true enthusiasm. It was determined by vote that a permanent clubhouse was to be sought after, although there were some persons who, understandably, suggested caution because of the cost of such a venture. The burgee that had been created by the steering committee was accepted. The burgee pattern was intended to represent the Eastport Bridge in an open position. While continuing to seek a permanent clubhouse, the EYC found temporary quarters on the fourth floor of a building at Annapolis City Marina on Severn Avenue in Eastport that opened on November 6, 1983. The search for a suitable property continued and on April 23, 1989 the membership approved the purchase of the present site. After much creative financing, the new clubhouse was opened for use on October 3, 1992. An additional section adjoining the present site was acquired during June 1999 and in 2004 arrangements were made to acquire the Paape property which is next beyond that towards Severn Avenue. During the spring of 2006, the program of expanding and rebuilding the marina was completed.

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