SAN ANTONIO – Big, beautiful lanterns will light up the River Walk over two weekends in September for the Ford Parade of Lights.
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 Sept. 2-4 and 9-11.
The event is free and family-friendly.
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 night.
Officials with the San Antonio River Walk said the floats do not go in the Shops at Rivercenter or into the Convention Center lagoons on the weekends due to heavy weekend boat traffic.
If there is inclement weather, the event will be canceled for that night. Updates will be provided on the San Antonio River Walk website.
“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.