SAN ANTONIO — The first of Fiesta's three major parades – and the only one to bring colorful sights to the San Antonio River – returned Monday evening, and without any showers to dampen the mood.
The Texas Cavaliers River Parade set off at 7 p.m. as the floating procession snaked its way through downtown while revelers danced, cheered on and snapped photos of this year's decorative floats. Charlie Duk, the Apollo 16 astronaut who in 1972 became the youngest person to walk on the moon, served as grand marshal.
Fiesta organizers introduced the parade in 1941 after the Texas Cavaliers – a charity-minded group of community leaders which also seeks to preserve "the bravery and independence for which the heroes of the Alamo died" – observed a floating parade of flower-adorned boats in Mexico City.
Various local dignitaries were spotted in the parade, including Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, as crowds along the River Walk waved and those on street-level bridges found a spot to catch the action.
PHOTOS: Texas Cavaliers River Parade 2023
The annual Battle of Flowers Parade is set for Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. while the light-up Fiesta Flambeau – which touts itself as the country's largest illuminated event of its kind – sets of at 7 p.m. Saturday.
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