SAN ANTONIO – Fiesta is back and so is the Texas Cavaliers River Parade.
The parade starts at 7 p.m. Monday, but we were able to get an inside look at the floats and talk with the marshal about what the last year has looked like from their perspective.
“Couldn’t be more excited to be here after the year we’ve been through and to show San Antonio the party that they deserve annually but didn’t get it in 2020,” Paul Rohlfs Jr., the river parade marshal said.
Rohlfs has been a Texas Cavalier for more than a decade. Like San Antonio and much of the world, he couldn’t have expected what the pandemic would bring.
“Oh, it’s been tough. We’re a well-oiled machine on an annual calendar, but when you got to reset and reset and reset, which we did this year with all the different parade dates, it’s been a little bit more challenging than it would in a normal year,” he said. “But, you know, it gave us a little extra time to plan.”
“So we’ve got a great party. Our decorator did a great job with the extra time and this year is going to be a great parade.”
While Fiesta’s river parade is a big party, it also helps the local economy and local charities.
“The Cavaliers have been able to donate to children’s charities $3.5 million, and so even through the pandemic, we’ve been working hard to get money out to San Antonio...” he added.
This parade is 26 months in the making.
Tickets including “great front row seats” are still available for tonight’s parade, he said.
“And I think San Antonio can expect what they’ve what they are accustomed to, which is one great river parade and maybe a little bit extra just knowing we had a little extra time,” Rohlfs said.
You can watch the celebration on KSAT 12, in the video player here, on KSAT.com or on our free streaming platform that works with most smart devices. KSAT will be covering the Texas Cavaliers River Parade across all platforms from 7 to 9 p.m.
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