Winterfest Boat Parade

No snow, no problem for Fort Lauderdale's Christmas boat paradeThe Winterfest Boat Parade has been managed for the past several years by members of the Seminole Indian tribe, which inhabited Florida, known as the Sunshine State today, before it became part of the US. Seminoles also take active roles in many other areas of Florida's culture and economy.

The aim of the boat parade, which dates from 1971, is to have the community come together and to promote tourism to Broward County, whose seat is Fort Lauderdale and which includes part of the Everglades, a large tract of marshland. And:Many people watch the parade from spots around Stranahan House, an approximately century-old wooden house on River Walk that is regarded as the site of Fort Lauderdale's founding.

Built as a trading post for settlers and Seminole Indians by a man named Frank Stranahan, it quickly became a combination of post office, community centre, and town hall. Stranahan was the postmaster, a banker and businessman all in one.