Around 30 river barges to be used in the April 20 Texas Cavaliers River Parade during Fiesta were lowered by crane on Friday into the San Antonio River.
The river parade marshal—Alcide Longoria—explains what happens after the barges are lowered into the waterway
"There's an old marina just a couple of blocks upriver around the corner," he said. "We'll have our 30 barges in there. Our decorator Kern Studios from New Orleans showed up last night. They're already hard at work and they will get all our floats decorate for the parade
Kerns Studios also decorates floats for Mardi Gras. The theme of this year's river parade is "Through the Decades" as the Cavaliers turn 100. Figures and events from past decades will be represented on the floats.
The Cavaliers plan to sell 20,000 tickets for the parade. There are limited spots to see the parade for free, such as from sidewalks at bridges. Proceeds from ticket sales benefit children's charities.
Tickets for the parade, which begins at 7 p.m. through the River Walk, are available at Buy Tickets | Texas Cavaliers
The Cavaliers plan to distribute $3 million to children's charities this year, including to the Brackenridge Park Conservancy to be used to build a naturescape for kids.
The grand marshal of this year's parade is Leon McNeil, co-leader of City Kids Adventures along with his wife, Leticia.
The non-profit organization provides non-traditional outdoor recreational opportunities for inner-city youth, such as archery, camping, canoeing, freshwater, saltwater and offshore fishing, hiking, kayaking, open-water swimming, horseback riding and hunting.
