Annual boat parade, festival to light up the Lakes community

By Kyle B. Hansen

Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2010 | 1:55 a.m.

For the 10th year, residents of the Lakes neighborhood in Las Vegas are opening their lake for a large Christmas festival.

The grand finale of the Lakes Festival of Lights will be the Electric Light Boat Parade, where boaters decorate their watercraft with their finest holiday lights and decorations for an after-dark show. The parade and festival are scheduled for Saturday.

If the weather cooperates, organizers expect between 5,000 and 10,000 people, Greg Toussaint said.

The free event is from noon to 6 p.m., with the parade starting at 5 p.m.

The annual festival is held at the community near the intersection of Lake East and Lake Sahara drives, near the Lake Town Center commercial plaza. Parking will be available at the Citibank parking lot.

The event is at the shore of, and the parade is on, Lake Sahara, a 30-acre private lake that is the centerpiece of the 300-home gated community. The neighborhood is south of Sahara Avenue and west of Durango Drive.

In addition to the boat parade, the festival will include face painting, a visit from Santa Claus, arts and crafts, a car show and food, plus entertainment from local school choirs and bands.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve will also be collecting new, unwrapped toys for their Toys for Tots drive.

The festival is made possible by numerous volunteers and many donations as well as a Neighborhood Partners Fund grant from the city, organizers said.