SAN ANTONIO – Giant lanterns will light up the River Walk over two weekends in August and September for the Ford Parade of Lanterns.
There will be 10 parade floats, each 26-feet long, topped with giant illuminated lanterns floating along the downtown section of the River Walk on Aug. 27-29 and Sept. 3-5,
The lanterns will launch, weather permitting, from the International Center at 203 S. St. Mary’s Street at 8 p.m. and are expected to complete their trip by 10 p.m. each day. The event is free and family-friendly.
The last time the parade of lanterns launched was in celebration of the Chinese New Year in January of 2020. Parading lanterns is a Chinese New Year tradition that dates back to 221-207 B.C.
While the floating lanterns have traditionally adorned the River Walk for two consecutive weeks, this parade will only take place during two weekends and will not go into the Shops at Rivercenter or the Convention Center lagoons due to weekend boat traffic, according to the San Antonio River Walk Association.
High wind conditions could prevent floats from running. Check San Antonio River Walk’s Facebook page daily to see if the floats will run on a given night.
“These are not made of paper. It is a sturdy yet sheer fabric so light can shine through. They are reusable for many, many years. We keep them in storage when they are not in use and each year we add more lanterns to our inventory,” Paula Schechter with the San Antonio River Walk Association previously told KSAT.
A map of the parade route can be found online.