Across Mindanao Way from Trader Joe's, the County surface lot closest to Burton Chace Park is a construction site. Los Angeles County closed Lot 4 on December 1, 2025, to build a three-level public parking structure with 368 spaces. The County describes that as "nearly triple the current capacity," with EV charging, 24-hour operation and abstract sail forms by the artist team FreelandBuck along the Mindanao-facing side.
The 64th Annual Marina del Rey Holiday Boat Parade is set for Saturday, December 12, 2026, with festivities at Burton Chace Park, right next door to that site. The County's January 2026 groundbreaking release said work should finish by "late Fall 2026." Its Marina del Rey development page gives the construction phase as running through December 2026. Neither page gives an opening day, and the County's parade page still shows the Lot 4 closure notice above the event schedule.
That means the most useful planning model for this year is last year. Plan for a parade with no Lot 4, and treat an open garage as a bonus if it arrives in time.
Last December, Without Lot 4
The 63rd parade on Saturday, December 13, 2025, was the first held after Lot 4 closed. In its event bulletin, the County warned that "parking on Mindanao Way will be very limited." It sent visitors to a map of alternate lots and added extra parking at Marina Towers, 4640 Admiralty Way.
The garage is meant to fix that problem. When construction began, Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell said in the County's announcement that "limited parking is a real barrier to enjoying all that Marina del Rey has to offer–from free events in Burton Chace Park and supporting local businesses to simply taking in the waterfront views." The project is part of her Marina del Rey for All initiative.
Here's the timeline as it stands:
- December 1, 2025: Lot 4 closes for construction.
- December 13, 2025: The 63rd parade runs, and the County warns of very limited parking on Mindanao Way.
- January 7, 2026: The County announces groundbreaking and targets late fall 2026.
- December 2026: End of the construction phase on the County's project timeline.
- December 12, 2026: The 64th parade.
The parade lands inside the window the County gave for completion. Until a ribbon-cutting is posted on beaches.lacounty.gov, the garage's parade-night status is an open question.
Where the Cars Go Instead
The County's parade page lists parade-night rates for its harbor lots. The Admiralty Way lots are the cheapest, and the Fiji Way lots put you at the second official viewing spot.
| County lot | Address | Parade-night rate |
|---|---|---|
| Lot 5 | 4545 Admiralty Way | $5 |
| Lot 8 | 4220 Admiralty Way | $5 |
| Lot 7 | 4350 Admiralty Way | $6 |
| Lot 9 | 13977 Palawan Way | $6 |
| Lot 11 | 14101 Panay Way | $6 |
| Lot 10 | 4101 Admiralty Way | $8 |
| Lot 13 | 4601 Via Marina | $8 |
| Lot 77 | 13560 Mindanao Way | $8 |
| Lot 1 / Fisherman's Village | 13723 Fiji Way | $8 |
| Lot 2 / Boat Launch Ramp | 13477 Fiji Way | $10 auto, $15 with trailer |
Lot 77, at 13560 Mindanao Way, is the only lot on the County's parade list with a Mindanao Way address. Lots 5, 7 and 8 sit along Admiralty Way and cost $5 to $6. The Marina Towers overflow at 4640 Admiralty Way was a 2025 arrangement, so check the County's page again in December before counting on it this year.
The County also advises "heavy traffic delays on the roads surrounding the Marina del Rey area," and that applies no matter which lot you aim for.
Fisherman's Village Has Its Own Lot and Its Own Announcer
The official viewing spots page names two public locations with live announcements, Burton Chace Park at 13650 Mindanao Way and Fisherman's Village at 13755 Fiji Way. It also suggests the Inlet & Park lot as a viewing area for families with kids.
With Lot 4 still fenced, Fisherman's Village takes on more of the load. It has its own $8 County lot at 13723 Fiji Way, the same live announcements as Chace Park, and its own restaurants. The parade organizers have long advised getting to a Fisherman's Village table early.
Two venues there have current listings:
- El Torito, 13715 Fiji Way, has daily hours and reservation links on its Marina del Rey location page.
- Whiskey Red's, 13813 Fiji Way, takes reservations through OpenTable, where one of its seating areas is labeled "Boat Parade."
According to the County, you can see the pre-parade light show "from nearly anywhere in Marina del Rey," so any of the lots above can work as a starting point.
The Schedule at Burton Chace Park
If Chace Park is still your spot, the County's 2026 program runs four hours, rain or shine:
- 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.: Voices of Christmas, roaming carolers
- 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.: Gourmet food trucks, a festive photo booth and a kids' art corner
- 5:45 to 6:00 p.m.: Holiday Light Show, subject to weather
- 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.: The Holiday Boat Parade
The County lists the 5:45 p.m. segment as a "Holiday Light Show." Visit Marina del Rey describes it as a drone show, and the County's own 2025 bulletin called last year's version a drone show. The County takes RSVPs through Eventbrite.
Food truck lines get long when the whole crowd shows up at once. The County suggests ordering ahead through Best Food Trucks.
The County's prohibited-items list for the event includes several things people often bring to an evening outdoors:
- Alcohol
- Tents, canopies and umbrellas of any kind
- Aerosol cans or sprays
- Fireworks, sparklers or other incendiary devices
- Video recording equipment
- Cigarettes and vapes
Since the event goes on in any weather, a rain jacket is the practical answer to a wet forecast.
Arriving Without a Car
The shortage of spaces on Mindanao Way doesn't matter if you don't drive. The County points to the Marvin Braude Coastal Bike Trail, a 22-mile paved path that runs through Marina del Rey from Dockweiler State Beach to Washington Boulevard near Venice Beach.
Rideshare is less dependable on parade night. The County warns of "extended delays in service times due to heavy traffic" and cautions drivers against stopping illegally for pickups and drop-offs. A pickup point a few blocks from the water will usually be easier to reach than the curb outside Chace Park.
If Your Boat Is in the Parade
Decorating a boat avoids the parking question entirely. This year's theme is "Hollywood Under The Stars," and the organizers note the parade is always held on the second Saturday in December. According to the skipper entry page, all boats must pre-register. Entry costs $60 for family and individual boats, yacht club and office-party boats, and nonprofits. Commercial and charter vessels pay $2 per foot, and every boat leaves a refundable $50 deposit for its boat ID.
The mandatory skipper meeting is the morning of the parade, Saturday, December 12, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Burton Chace Park Community Center. Same-day entrants are asked to arrive by 8:30 a.m. If your confirmation hasn't arrived by December 11, contact the committee.
Skippers should also know about one restriction. From 5:45 to 6:00 p.m., no vessel may be in the restricted security zone in the Main Channel between Basins B and H. The County notes the best light-show views are from outside that zone.
Last year's winners show the level of competition. In the 2025 results, Blondie of Pacific Mariner's Yacht Club won Best Overall, Sapphire Knight won Best Sail and Charles Hathaway of California Yacht Club won Best Power. Lucy Rose took Best Individual and Dr. B. won Best Theme. Marina Yacht Club had the most boats entered by its members.
Our team at ARIA Properties lives and works around this harbor, and we'll be watching the Lot 4 site along with you. Whether it opens before the twelfth or after, a garage nearly three times the size of the old lot will change how easy it is to get to Burton Chace Park all year. If you'd like to know how harbor improvements like this one affect the value of your Marina del Rey home, get your instant home valuation.
