Thousands of revellers celebrated the Christmas season the Bermuda way on Saturday as Hamilton hosted the Christmas Boat Parade.Spectators lined Front Street and Albuoy’s Point, enjoying a line-up of impressively lighted boats and festive music.Donald Wray, from New York, said the event was a pleasant surprise. He said: “The atmosphere is great, the weather is good. It’s something different.“I had to come to the island for work, but given the time of year I thought it would be nice to bring the family with me and I’m glad I did.”His daughter, Julie, 5, said: “The boats are pretty and I like the food. And it’s not cold.”Christine DeSilva said she was happy to see the event return after skipping a year.She said: “It was a disappointment that last year’s event didn’t go ahead, but honestly I would be happy if they did this every year.“It’s a great excuse to come out with the family and enjoy the Christmas spirit.”Her husband, Laurence, said: “We missed the one in St George’s.“We didn’t even know it was taking place until we saw in the paper the day after.“I think it’s a great tradition. It’s something very Bermudian. I think it brings us together.”Deshay Pitts said it was great to see so many people come out to enjoy the holidays.He said: “Between this and the walkabout, it’s really starting to feel like Christmas now.“I love this time of year. You hang out with your family, everyone is happy. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it.”Calico Jack’s was decorated like a Santa’s workshop and won Best Overall Boat as well as Best Crew Costume, Best Use of Building Materials and People’s Choice.It was followed by Andrea Christine in overall second place, then the Spirit of Bermuda in third.Chapter Eleven took home the Best Community Message title and the Most Humorous vessel was Miss T.J.The Bermuda Pilot Gig Club was awarded Most Original, the Best Use of Lights was on the Honey Badger Express and the Best Traditional Christmas Message came from Santa’s Barge.[naviga:iframe src=https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Ftheroyalgazette%2Fvideos%2F711446382544261%2F&show_text=0&width=630 width=100% height=350 style=border:none;overflow:hidden scrolling=no frameborder=0 allowTransparency=true allowFullScreen=true][/naviga:iframe]