Saturday night’s weather forecast predicted showers at the Fiesta Flambeau Night Parade, but no rain fell on the signature Fiesta event that enlivened downtown with elaborate floats, marching bands, and lots of colorful lights.
Instead, as the sun set over the festivities, temperatures cooled off and a light breeze blew through the air making for ideal weather to sit back and watch the parade.
After a late start, the parade was underway Saturday afternoon: Thousands from across the city came out in full force to celebrate with their flower crowns, consume street food, and crack cascarones as the dozens of floats, members of the military, marching bands, and performers walked down the roadway.
The crowds seemed to enjoy themselves despite a few mishaps throughout the night, including numerous floats and performers rushing down the street to catch up in the parade line up. Children still watched the colorful, sparkly, and in some cases loud floats with wonderment, the marching bands played on, and crowd members still called out to Fiesta queens to “Show me your shoes!,” proving that their Fiesta spirit was not dampened.
The year’s parade theme was “City Lights and Celebrations” and the grand marshal was Guillermo Rodriguez, Jimmy Kimmel’s “sidekick” on his hit late night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! The event, created decades ago to showcase San Antonio’s unique culture, continues to grow every year and is known as one of the largest illuminated parades in the world.
Fiesta officially ends Sunday. A list of events taking place then can be found here.
See more images from the Fiesta Flambeau parade below.
