A restaurant and a specialty shop are behind Patchogue's two biggest holiday events. Each owner borrowed an idea from another town and turned it into something local.
A restaurateur started the Patchogue River Christmas boat parade 30 years ago. A Main Street shop owner started It's a Wonderful Life in Patchogue in 2024. One event is on the water and the other is downtown. Both still run through the businesses that host them, and that affects how you plan the next seven weeks.
A Steakhouse Idea, Thirty Years On
According to the parade's official site, the tradition began 30 years ago with Dick Blakeslee of The Oar Steak and Seafood Grill, inspired by the boat parade in Fort Lauderdale. The site says it now draws thousands of families to kick off the holiday season, and judges award trophies at the Sandspit.
This year is the 30th parade, and the public picked the theme in a Facebook vote. The Long Island Advance reported that the theme is "A Holly Dolly Christmas," inspired by Dolly Parton, and called the event the oldest Christmas boat parade on Long Island.
The parade runs over two nights, and they work differently.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 5 to 9 p.m. This is the People's Choice night. The decorated boats are docked and you vote for your favorite. A water taxi runs between the marinas, so you only have to park once.
- Sunday, Nov. 22, 5 p.m. This is the parade itself. Boats start out in the bay and head up the river to the end. The organizers call it "the last best night on the river for the year."
The parade site lists six free viewing spots. Two are public terminals: Sandspit Park at the Davis Park Ferry Terminal, and FINS at the Watch Hill terminal. The other four are waterfront restaurants: Drift 82, The Oar, The Patch and Bayman's Clam Bar. Each restaurant runs weekend specials, and organizers strongly recommend calling ahead for reservations.
If you want a table with a view of the river, book it the way you would for a holiday dinner, well before the weekend. If you'd rather stand outside with a thermos, the Sandspit is where the judges watch.
A Shop Owner's Answer to Port Jefferson
The newer tradition has a similar origin. Newsday reported that Steven Muñoz, who owns Amazing Olive in Patchogue and Port Jefferson, organized the first It's a Wonderful Life in Patchogue in December 2024. He based it on Port Jefferson Village's annual Dickens Festival, and about 30 businesses coordinated the event.
That first weekend, vintage cars circled Main Street. Volunteers reenacted scenes from the 1946 film at seven locations, starting at That Meetball Place and ending at Capital One Plaza. Young dancers played 1940s newsies and street characters, and a holiday market ran on Saturday night. Newsday's photos showed Muñoz playing Harry Bailey and the Black Box Traveling Theater Company performing at James Joyce.
The format still depends on local businesses. The official festival site describes the Dec. 12 and 13 weekend as a 1940s-themed, all-day event with holiday shopping, music, interactive events and live reenactments. It says the programming runs into the evening at village restaurants. The festival is the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce's fundraising production. Muñoz is founder and co-chair of the organizing committee.
The fundraising starts months before December. This summer the Chamber held Christmas in July, sponsored and hosted by Blue Point Brewery and supported by Blum's. Last year's grand marshal was Marc Siegel, co-owner of Blum's Lingerie and Swimwear, as The Suffolk County News reported.
The Grand Marshal Who Cast the First Show
This year's grand marshal is Ken Dobbins. The Chamber named him at Christmas in July. He helped launch the event by recruiting the actors who performed in downtown restaurants and shops. The festival site describes him as a Patchogue resident of nearly 30 years and a community-theater performer and director.
He'll be honored on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6 p.m. at the Passing of the Sash. It takes place at Gallo's, 3 East Main St., and the Chamber lists admission at $40 per person, which includes samples from Gallo's menu and a complimentary drink. The fundraiser is held in a downtown restaurant.
The Weeks in Between
The Chamber's fall calendar fills most of the gap between the river weekend and the Main Street weekend, and most of it takes place on Main Street. The table below lists the dated events on the public calendars as of late October.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7, noon to 4 p.m. | Greater Patchogue Annual Fall Festival, with live music, craft vendors, food trucks and the returning chili-and-chowder competition | Main Street |
| Tue., Nov. 10, 6 p.m. | Passing of the Sash for Ken Dobbins | Gallo's, 3 East Main St. |
| Sat., Nov. 21, 5 to 9 p.m. | Boat parade People's Choice viewing and voting | Patchogue River marinas |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 5 p.m. | 30th Patchogue River Christmas boat parade | Bay to the end of the river |
| Through Sun., Dec. 6 | "Dis-dressed" exhibition | MoCA L.I. |
| Fri., Dec. 11, 8 p.m. | That Motown Band: Home for the Holidays | Patchogue Theatre |
| Sat. and Sun., Dec. 12 and 13 | It's a Wonderful Life in Patchogue | Throughout the village |
| Sun., Dec. 13, 3 p.m. | Christmas with the New York Tenors | Patchogue Theatre |
| Dec. 18, 19 and 20 | The Rascals Rockin' the Holidays, Santa's Circus, Atlantic Wind Symphony Holiday Concert | Patchogue Theatre |
The Chamber's event calendar and the Patchogue Theatre schedule are the places to check for any changes in times or ticket availability. The Patchogue Arts Council keeps its own listings for gallery shows.
Two dates in the table fall on the same weekend. The 3 p.m. New York Tenors matinee is on the festival's Sunday, so you could spend the morning following the reenactments down Main Street and still make the show. The Motown show the Friday before gives you three days in a row of downtown events.
Getting In and Out on the Busy Nights
Two newer downtown details help on these weekends. Over the summer, the Village set up four purple rideshare zones near the Four Corners at Main Street and Ocean Avenue. Two are by Coho and Bank of America, and two are by the library and Standard Rec. GreaterLongIsland reported that they operate Thursday through Sunday, 6 p.m. to 4 a.m., and go back to metered parking at other times. The boat parade Sunday and both festival evenings fall inside that window.
There's also a familiar name coming back. GreaterLongIsland reported in early October that Burgerology was preparing to reopen at 76 W. Main St., the former Spycoast Kitchen space, and expected to open by early November. If it opens on that schedule, it will be another Main Street dinner option before the December weekend. For more on how this year's restaurant turnover has changed the block, see our late-summer read of downtown Patchogue.
Why the Reservation Matters More Than the Curb
Business owners started both events, and businesses still host them. Four of the six boat parade viewing spots are restaurants, and the organizers ask you to call them directly. In 2024 the festival reenactments moved from That Meetball Place to Capital One Plaza and stopped at places like James Joyce along the way. The grand marshal's sash is passed at Gallo's, and the summer fundraiser was at Blue Point Brewery.
Both events are free to watch from the street. Because restaurants and shops host so much of the programming, the people who book ahead get the warm seats with the best view. The free spots fill early too. For the parade, the organizers' advice is to get there early.
The two big weekends of the year also bring a lot of visitors downtown. If you're curious how that energy fits into the rest of village life, our Patchogue neighborhood guide covers the year-round picture.
If you're out on the river Nov. 22 or following the reenactors down Main Street in December, I'd love to hear which spot you picked and which boat got your vote. And if this season has you thinking about your own place in the village, Marina Putova is always happy to talk it through over coffee on Main Street. Let's Connect.
