Illuminated vessels will sail across Lake Macquarie this weekend providing spectacular sights from the shores as part of the annual Float Your Boat festival.
Decorated in dazzling light displays, the fleet of 20 will launch from Empire Marina at Marmong Point.
The water show will be paired with entertainment including live music, glowing performances and food trucks, on the shores of Toronto on Friday night, June 23 and Warners Bay on Saturday night, June 24.
Regular participant Steve Upton spent Wednesday adding finishing touches to his sail boat by the name of 'Influencer'.
"There'll be a seven metre light and it [boat] will have 25 sets [of lights] on it," he said.
"They're all LEDs and make up a mermaid on a rock and then along the boom there will be an octopus and lots of colours including pink, green. blue, yellow and red lights," he said.
Mr Upton said he enjoyed getting involved with the community and the festival was "a great night out".
"There's lots of interaction between the shore and us. People really get involved when you cruise past in your boat. We do a lot of whistling and waving back to the crowd, they do a lot of whistling and flashing their lights," he said.
"It's just a good feel for the whole community and all the boaties enjoy it."
Light installation artists Sandy Sanderson and Tom Ireland were also hard at work at the marina on Wednesday using hundreds of zip ties to string rope lights together, creating a stingray for a house boat.
"The light installation is a stingray in space swimming through the stars," Ms Sanderson said.
Materials supplied by Lake Macquarie City Council supplied the luminescent materials which included white lights to represent the stars and planets and green lights to portray shadows and water.
"It'll be nice to see it when it all comes together," Mr Ireland said.
Lake Macquarie City Council mayor Kay Fraser was expecting hundreds to pack onto the shores enjoying picnics, cooking barbecues and watching what the lake has to offer.
"People come out from all over, they'll be on the foreshore or others will watch from their homes. Especially in winter people don't like to come out, but this weekend they'll be out in droves" she said.
"It's like our own Vivid, right here in Lake Macquarie, absolutely fantastic."
Australian Navy Cadets are also set to make their maiden voyage at this year's festival.
Prizes this year include a $2000 Newcastle Permanent People's Choice Award and two $1000 Mayor's Best Boat Awards for a vessel of 10m and over and a 5-10m category.
Members of the public can win $100 for casting a Newcastle Permanent People's Choice vote.
For more information including maps of the route, viewing points and live sites, and how to vote for your favourite vessel, visit lakemac.com.au/floatyourboat.
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