Float Your Boat lights up lake

Published on 26 June 2023

A giant glowing turtle, kids favourite Bluey and perennially popular additions like mermaids, dolphins and octopuses lit up Lake Macquarie on the weekend as part of the Float Your Boat festival.

Thousands of people lined the lake’s shore and converged on livesites in Toronto and Warners Bay as the festival flotilla set sail across Friday and Saturday evenings.

Friday saw the vessels tour the western side of the lake, passing the Toronto foreshore livesite on its way to Wangi Wangi.

Saturday, they turned east, past crowds keeping warm watching fire-twirling, LED light artists and musicians at the Warners Bay livesite.

The crew of Mistque took out the Mayor’s Choice award in the 5m-10m boat category for its ‘Twinkly Toes the Octopus’ light sculpture, while the creative team from yacht Influencer took out the 10m+ category for its mermaid and octopus arrangement.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser encouraged the community to vote for their own favourites via the Newcastle Permanent People’s Choice Award.

Voters go in the draw to win $100, while the winning boat will take home a $2000 prize.

“Float Your Boat is a wonderful opportunity to not only showcase our beautiful lake at night, but to activate lakeside locations that are typically quieter at this time of year,” Cr Fraser said.

“I’m so grateful to all the boaties who took part this year. It takes a lot of effort to create these huge illuminated works of art, but the reactions of the kids – and their parents – showed how much they were appreciated.”

Vote for your favourite boat at lakemac.com.au.