PRESS & MEDIA

Holden Beach Flotilla

Saturday, November 28, 2026 • Holden Beach, North Carolina

The inaugural Holden Beach Flotilla is bringing boats, businesses, families, and the community together for a new holiday tradition while raising funds for Brunswick Family Assistance.

Event at a Glance

Date

Saturday, November 28, 2026

Location

Holden Beach, NC

Launch

ICW near Sailfish Park

Finish

Holden Beach Marina

Event Time

Approximately 5:30–8:00 PM

Beneficiary

Brunswick Family Assistance

Boats

Up to 25

Website

hbflotilla.com

OCTOBER 2026 - 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOLDEN BEACH FLOTILLA RAISES $26,700 IN TWO WEEKS, SURPASSING HALF OF LAST YEAR’S FUNDRAISING TOTAL

Local businesses, real estate professionals, property managers, restaurants, contractors, and boaters unite to launch a new holiday tradition benefiting Brunswick Family Assistance.

HOLDEN BEACH, NC — October 15, 2026 — Just two weeks into its fundraising efforts, the inaugural Holden Beach Flotilla has raised $26,700 for Brunswick Family Assistance, surpassing half of the $52,291 raised by the 2025 Ocean Isle Beach Flotilla. Reaching more than 51% of last year’s total in just two weeks is an encouraging milestone for the new Holden Beach event. Equally significant is the growing community involvement, with local businesses, real estate professionals, restaurants, contractors, and boaters finding creative ways to support the cause.

Scheduled for Saturday, November 28, 2026, the Holden Beach Flotilla is bringing together businesses, residents, and visitors to establish a new coastal Christmas tradition while raising funds for Brunswick Family Assistance and its mission to help local families in need.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT GAINING MOMENTUM

The Holden Beach Marina has become the first Gold Sponsor of the inaugural flotilla, helping establish early momentum for the event. Additional sponsors are being announced throughout October, with October 28 serving as the sponsorship deadline. Following that date, event T-shirts and the official sponsor banner featuring participating businesses’ logos will go to print.

Support is coming from across a wide range of local industries. Real estate professionals and building contractors are stepping forward to support the cause, while businesses along the Intracoastal Waterway are preparing watch parties for spectators. Some real estate professionals are also highlighting vacation properties with views of the flotilla, creating additional opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy the event.

Restaurants are planning special activities for flotilla night, and vendors are signing up to participate at Holden Beach Marina. Local coffee shops and beach gear rental businesses have already donated gift baskets to help raise additional funds for Brunswick Family Assistance.

Other businesses are contributing services and prizes to recognize Gold Sponsors, while property management companies and small businesses are finding meaningful ways to give back to the community. Local boat owners are also preparing their vessels for the parade of Christmas lights.

One boat is even being built specifically to carry the flotilla’s grand marshals, who will be announced on November 15.

A COMMUNITY EFFORT WITH AN IMMEDIATE IMPACT

While the growing participation is encouraging, organizers say the most meaningful milestone is that fundraising proceeds are already reaching Brunswick Family Assistance. Checks have begun being delivered to the organization just two weeks into the campaign.

“The most exciting part is seeing how many different parts of our community are coming together around one shared purpose,” organizers said. “Businesses aren’t simply putting their names on a sponsorship list. They’re finding ways to participate, welcome visitors, create experiences, and support families right here in Brunswick County. Raising $26,700 in our first two weeks and already beginning to deliver checks to Brunswick Family Assistance makes this especially meaningful.”

The flotilla will begin at 5:30 p.m. on November 28, with decorated boats traveling along the Intracoastal Waterway near Holden Beach. Organizers are coordinating viewing opportunities, participating businesses, vendors, and community activities to create an evening residents and visitors can enjoy together.

The inaugural event builds on the spirit of the longstanding Ocean Isle Beach Flotilla tradition while establishing a new holiday celebration at Holden Beach. Organizers hope the event will become an enduring part of the community’s Christmas season, combining holiday festivities with meaningful support for local families.

Businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities are encouraged to participate before the October 28 deadline. Event information, sponsorship opportunities, and participation details are available at https://hbflotilla.com.

EVENT DETAILS

Event: Inaugural Holden Beach Flotilla

Date: Saturday, November 28, 2026

Start Time: 5:30 p.m.

Location: Holden Beach, North Carolina

Beneficiary: Brunswick Family Assistance

First Gold Sponsor: Holden Beach Marina

Grand Marshal Announcement: November 15, 2026

Sponsorship Deadline: October 28, 2026

MEDIA CONTACT

Holden Beach Flotilla

Email: holdenbeachflotilla@gmail.com

Phone: 910-368-3789

Website: https://hbflotilla.com

ABOUT THE HOLDEN BEACH FLOTILLA

The Holden Beach Flotilla is a community-driven holiday event bringing together local businesses, boaters, residents, and visitors to celebrate the Christmas season along the Brunswick County coast while supporting Brunswick Family Assistance. Through community partnerships and charitable fundraising, the two founding organizers, Jason Murphy and Keith Smith, hope to establish a lasting holiday tradition that reflects the generosity and spirit of the Holden Beach community.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - OCTOBER 1, 2026

THE FAMILY BEACH COMMUNITY THAT SAVED CHRISTMAS FOR BRUNSWICK COUNTY

When a longtime coastal Christmas tradition was canceled, Holden Beach residents and businesses came together in just three weeks to bring it back.

HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. — Christmas wasn't canceled. It just found a new home.

For more than two decades, a Christmas boat parade has been part of the holiday tradition along the Brunswick County coast. When the 2026 event was canceled, there was a real possibility that a tradition enjoyed by local families and visitors for years would disappear.

Instead, people in Holden Beach asked a simple question:

Why can't we keep it going?

In roughly three weeks, the Holden Beach community came together to create the inaugural Holden Beach Flotilla, bringing the tradition to a new home on Saturday, November 28.

This isn't a professional event-production company taking over a long-planned event.

It's a community effort.

Local boaters have committed their boats. Volunteers are giving their time and talents. Local businesses are stepping forward as sponsors. Families are making plans to gather along the Intracoastal Waterway. And people who helped organize the previous flotilla tradition have shared their experience to help the new event get off the ground.

The result will be a new chapter in a Christmas tradition that people weren't ready to lose.

A COMMUNITY COMING TOGETHER

The Holden Beach Flotilla is being built by people who simply believe the tradition is worth preserving.

Businesses are helping. Boaters are participating. Volunteers are working behind the scenes. Community members are spreading the word.

Everyone is bringing something different to the table.

And that's what makes the story bigger than a boat parade.

Holden Beach is known as a family beach — a place where families return year after year, where generations make vacation memories and where the water is part of the community's identity.

On November 28, that community will gather along the Intracoastal Waterway to celebrate Christmas together.

CHRISTMAS WITH A PURPOSE

The celebration also has a local purpose.

Proceeds from the Holden Beach Flotilla will benefit Brunswick Family Assistance, a local organization that helps people throughout Brunswick County, including through holiday assistance programs.

That means the event isn't simply about decorating boats and putting on a Christmas show.

It's about celebrating together while helping people in the same community.

Local businesses are helping bring Christmas to the water. Families are coming together to celebrate. Boaters are donating their time and vessels. Volunteers are giving their time.

And the event is helping support a Brunswick County organization serving local families and individuals.

FROM A CANCELED EVENT TO CHRISTMAS ON THE WATER

The turnaround has been remarkably short.

In only about three weeks, an idea became an organized event with participating boats, sponsors, volunteers, a route, a charity beneficiary and a community preparing to celebrate.

The goal isn't to create the biggest boat parade on the coast.

It's to preserve something people valued.

A tradition.

Family memories.

Christmas.

And the opportunity to help neighbors.

Sometimes a community doesn't need years to make something happen.

Sometimes it just needs people willing to say:

“Let's do it.”

On November 28, decorated boats will gather along the Intracoastal Waterway at Holden Beach as families watch from viewing areas, local businesses and the marina.

The tradition will continue.

It will simply have a new home.

Christmas wasn't canceled. It just found a new home.

This year, that home is Holden Beach.

EVENT INFORMATION

Inaugural Holden Beach Flotilla
Saturday, November 28, 2026
Holden Beach, North Carolina

Benefiting: Brunswick Family Assistance

Website: hbflotilla.com
Email: holdenbeachflotilla@gmail.com
Phone: 910-368-3789

MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

Organizers can arrange interviews with:

• Holden Beach Flotilla organizers

• Participating boat captains

• Local business sponsors

• Volunteers

• Families participating in the event

• Representatives of Brunswick Family Assistance

• Individuals connected to the previous coastal flotilla tradition

Photo and video opportunities include: decorated boats, preparations, participating families, volunteers, local businesses and the Holden Beach waterfront.

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September 2026 - 

Holden Beach Flotilla to Bring Christmas Lights, Boats and Community Spirit to the Waterway on November 28

HOLDEN BEACH, NC — September 28, 2026 — A new holiday tradition is coming to Holden Beach this November as the Holden Beach Flotilla takes to the Intracoastal Waterway on Saturday, November 28, 2026.

The first Holden Beach Flotilla will feature up to 25 boats decorated in Christmas lights and holiday displays, creating a festive procession along the Holden Beach waterway.

While this is the first Holden Beach Flotilla, the tradition itself is not new. The Ocean Isle Beach Flotilla was part of the local holiday season for nearly 22 years before organizers learned the event would not return this year. The flotilla also served as a significant fundraiser for Brunswick Family Assistance (BFA), leaving the organization facing the loss of an important annual fundraising event.

The idea to bring the flotilla to Holden Beach came from Jason Murphy,  a Holden Beach property owner, who had participated in the Ocean Isle Flotilla for several years. After learning the event would not return, Murphy reached out to the Holden Beach Marina, where Ashley Dyer helped build community support and move the idea forward.

From there, Murphy reached out to Keith Smith, a Holden Beach Commissioner, and the two began working together to bring the event to Holden Beach with the support of the Marina and other community partners.

Their goal was to bring Christmas lights, boats and community spirit to Holden Beach while 

continuing the fundraising effort for Brunswick Family Assistance and the Brunswick County families it serves.

Cheryl Wilson, who organized the Ocean Isle Beach Flotilla for nearly 22 years, has passed the torch to the Holden Beach team. Wilson continues to work behind the scenes in an advisory role, sharing details, answering questions and providing guidance as needed — sometimes several times a day. Her involvement helps carry an established holiday tradition forward to Holden Beach.

Participating boats will begin staging just west of Sailfish Park on the Intracoastal Waterway at approximately 4:30 p.m., with a final radio check at 5:15 p.m. At approximately 5:30 p.m., the lights will come on and the flotilla will get underway.

The route will travel from Sailfish Park → Provisions → Holden Beach Bridge → The Wharf Restaurant, where the boats will turn around and return toward the Holden Beach Marina. Boats will be spaced approximately one to two minutes apart, giving spectators multiple opportunities to see the decorated boats along the route.

The Holden Beach Marina will serve as the final destination and the location for the awards presentation. Awards are expected to begin between approximately 7:30 and 7:45 p.m.

Boats will compete for cash prizes in both categories, including a $1,000 overall winner prize, $500 for first place, $350 for second place, and $150 for third place. Every boat entry will also receive a Captain's Bag of Swag & Prizes. The Captain's Meeting and Reception, will be held Friday, November 27th, 5:30pm, at The Holden Beach Marina..

Following the awards, the celebration will continue with after-parties at local area restaurants, giving residents and visitors an opportunity to continue the festivities while supporting local businesses.

The Holden Beach Flotilla is also being organized with a charitable purpose. Proceeds from the event will benefit Brunswick Family Assistance, a local nonprofit organization that helps Brunswick County families experiencing times of need.

“We want this to be something families look forward to every year. It’s about seeing the boats, enjoying the Christmas lights, bringing people together and having a great time — but it’s also about giving back to our community and helping our neighbors.”

Boat registration is now open at www.hbflotilla.com. Registration forms may also be requested by email or text using the contact information below. The flotilla is limited to 25 boats, with registration accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Once all 25 spots are filled, registration will close.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available and are anticipated to remain open through October 28, 2026, or until available spots are filled. Sponsorships are also first come, first served. Businesses and organizations interested in supporting the event are encouraged to contact the organizers as soon as possible.

For safety on the water, the Holden Beach Sheriff's Department and Sea Tow will both be participating to assist with any issues involving participating vessels.

EVENT DETAILS

Holden Beach Flotilla — Saturday, November 28, 2026
Boat staging: 4:30 p.m. — just west of Sailfish Park
Final radio check: 5:15 p.m.
Flotilla begins: 5:30 p.m.
Route: Sailfish Park → Provisions → Holden Beach Bridge → The Wharf Restaurant → Holden Beach Marina
Boats: Up to 25 decorated boats
Judging: Holden Beach Marina
Awards: Approximately 7:30–7:45 p.m. at Holden Beach Marina
Beneficiary: Brunswick Family Assistance
Boat registration: www.hbflotilla.com
Sponsorship deadline: October 28, 2026, or until spots are filled

Residents, families, visitors and businesses are invited to come celebrate the season, support local businesses and help light up Holden Beach.

MEDIA / GENERAL EVENT CONTACT

Keith Smith
Holden Beach Flotilla
910-368-3789
holdenbeachflotilla@gmail.com
www.hbflotilla.com

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