On Saturday, December 12, the Redondo Pier and King Harbor have holiday programming running from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the only open window is the half hour after 5, when nothing is on the water and nothing is on the pier.
The Redondo Pier Association and the King Harbor Yacht Club put on separate events, but in 2026 their schedules line up so closely that they work as one program. The Pier Holiday Celebration ends at 4. The Paddle Craft Parade has already started by then, and the Holiday Boat Parade begins half an hour after the paddlers finish. So planning the day is mostly about where you stand when each part begins. This year, a breakwater repair crew is using some of the parking near Moonstone Park, the best-known place to stand.
Three programs, six hours, one waterfront
Here is the day in order, using times each organizer has published for 2026:
- 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Pier Holiday Celebration. The Redondo Pier Association hosts this free event at Fisherman's Wharf on the west end of the pier. It includes holiday carolers, an arts and crafts area, a holiday photo station and a holiday concert. Within that program, Candy Cane Lane runs on the pier and boardwalk from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., while supplies last, so families with young children will want to arrive at the start.
- 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., Paddle Craft Parade. Listed on the official parade site, it overlaps the last half hour of the pier program.
- 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., King Harbor Holiday Boat Parade. The main event. This year's theme, as printed on the parade's site, is "Stars, Strips & Saltwater."
The yacht club organizes the parade, and it has been around for a while. In its coverage of the 2025 parade, the Daily Breeze said the KHYC-hosted event had run for more than three decades and drew dozens of decorated boats and paddle craft, with an overall winner and category awards. That history explains how the day is shaped. The pier event fills the afternoon around a parade that already had a fixed place on the harbor calendar.
Both organizers point people to each other. The King Harbor Boat Parade site links to Redondo Pier activities from its home page, and the Redondo Pier Association's event page has a downloadable flyer along with directions and parking information.
The half-hour between 5 and 5:30
From 5 to 5:30 p.m. the paddlers are done and the boats haven't started. Most people will spend that half hour eating, walking to a viewing spot, or both.
At least one harbor restaurant has planned around it. Riviera Mexican Cantina at 207 N Harbor Dr. is holding a King Harbor Holiday Boat Parade viewing party from 5 to 9 p.m. on December 12. Its event listing advertises it as "Best Views of the Holiday Boat Parade is at The Cantina." The listing has a booking link through the restaurant's private events page. The 5 p.m. start lines up exactly with the end of the Paddle Craft Parade.
If you would rather eat on the pier between the celebration and the parade, the Redondo Pier Association's dining directory lists places including El Torito, Kincaid's, Pacific Fish Center, Quality Seafood, R10 Social House and Tony's on the Pier. The directory suggests checking each restaurant's own hours. That's good advice on a Saturday when the pier crowd stays from afternoon into the start of the parade.
The parade site names one place that will not be open, though: the King Harbor Yacht Club is not open to the public for this event.
Moonstone Park and the Mole B staging area
The parade's 2026 event page lists two best viewing locations, Moonstone Park and Mole D along the Splash Wall.
Moonstone Park is also next to the staging area for one of the bigger harbor projects in years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began repairs on the King Harbor breakwater on June 22, with contractor Connolly-Pacific working from a barge that moves along the structure. In its September 2026 report, Patch put the repair at $6.8 million. Staging is on Mole B and uses some of the parking near Moonstone Park.
The schedule has already slipped once. The City of Redondo Beach first expected the work to finish in October. A Corps spokesperson later told Patch that completion was expected in mid-November. The City's project notice says parking on Mole B next to Moonstone Park may be reduced, and that the park and the Lanakila Outrigger Club were expected to stay accessible.
This week, mid-November is still a forecast. Whether the barge and staging are gone by December 12 or still taking spaces near the park determines how Moonstone Park works as a parade spot this year. Two things follow:
- Mole D along the Splash Wall is the other viewing location the parade lists, and it doesn't depend on Mole B parking.
- If you're already at the pier in the afternoon, you won't need to look for parking at Moonstone Park at 5:15. The Redondo Pier Association's visit page covers parking for the pier side of the day.
Boaters taking part should also note the Corps' caution from the Patch report. Anyone moving through the area near the construction should watch for the barge's anchor wires, which extend into the harbor.
Nine days earlier, a weeknight in Riviera Village
The waterfront Saturday follows a different kind of evening in South Redondo. The Riviera Village Association's Holiday Stroll is Thursday, December 3, from 5 to 9 p.m.
It's on a weeknight and centered on shops. The association lists late-opening shops, a makers' market, a carousel, and appearances by Santa and the Grinch. Catalina Avenue and Avenue I will be closed to traffic during the event. If you drive Catalina on Thursday evenings, plan around the closure that night.
The stroll also gives Martha's at 1810 S. Catalina Ave. its first December in the Village. In May, WhatNow reported that the restaurant was preparing to open in June. Martha's Redondo Beach page now takes dinner reservations at the Catalina Avenue address.
Taken together, the season has two anchor dates. The stroll keeps one evening in the Village on December 3. The waterfront takes up all of December 12, from Fisherman's Wharf at 1 p.m. to the last boats in King Harbor at 7.
What the harbor is lining up next
This December's waterfront day falls in the middle of several projects that will change parts of the same shoreline over the next few years.
Seaside Lagoon. In September 2026, the city council voted to send its Phase 1 redesign of the lagoon to the California Coastal Commission. The plan calls for a five-foot depth, a concrete bottom, lap-swim buoys, restrooms at the south end, seasonal fencing and better ADA access, paid for with a $10 million state grant. Construction is expected in 2027, with reopening targeted before the 2028 Summer Olympics, according to Easy Reader.
The former Fun Factory. The City approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with Multiverse, which operates Level Up Bowl and Bistro, for the space at 123 International Boardwalk. As the Daily Breeze reported in July, the possible bowling alley, arcade, bistro and sports bar depends on lease negotiations.
The breakwater. The Corps project is the only one of the three with a forecast completion date before the parade, mid-November. It's also the one that matters most for where people stand on December 12.
That leaves the practical plan for the 12th. Get to Fisherman's Wharf by 1 for Candy Cane Lane. Watch the paddlers from 3:30. Use the half hour after 5 to eat or get to your viewing spot. Check the City's Mole B notice that week before you count on parking near Moonstone Park.
Whether you've lived near King Harbor for years or this is your first December by the water, our team at GlobalPoint knows these routines well and is glad to help you get to know the waterfront. If you have questions about Redondo Beach this season, Let's Connect.
