Crowds in downtown Denver on Friday night along the route of the annual 9News Parade of Lights were more than 10 deep in spots as revelers cheered on Santa Claus, marching bands and various floats in unseasonably, delightful, balmy weather.
“Oh, look at Santa,” squealed a young girl as St. Nick rolled by in his sled. Other children chanted: “Santa! Santa! Santa…”
Among the popular attire and props sported by paradegoers, young and old, were: Blinking, lighted head gear; Christmas lights worn as necklaces; sparkling, over-sized candy canes; and Santa hats. Red attire, in general, was popular.
As the parade streamed by at Colfax Avenue and 14th Street, seven-year-old Austyn sat on the shoulders of her uncle, Aaron Rathe, to get an uninterrupted view of the parade in all its splendor. Austyn’s twin brother, Alex, sat on the shoulders of his “auntie” Katie Rathe.
“I like it when horses go by,” Austyn said.
The Rathes, Colorado natives about to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary, have been to 28 , Katie Rathe said.
Aaron Rathe said he looks forward to seeing the Denver City and County Building “lighted up” and he enjoys all the floats. “It makes you feel Christmassy,” he said with a smile.
Among the floats Friday night were: a colorful, long Chinese dragon, which gleefully snaked its way along the route; a huge, inflated white tiger; and a float of the Moffat Tunnel and the Continental Divide above spewing snow as Dean Martin sang “Let it Snow.”
The downtown temperature was in the mid-40’s when the parade got going at 8 p.m. and a few, daring celebrants attended in t-shirts and shorts.
Heather Campbell, of Denver, brought her six-week-old son, Logan to the parade. Just before the event kicked off, Logan was snug and sound asleep below the canopy of a stroller.
“It’s definitely the warmest one I’ve been to,” said Heather, who has attended several parades.
Campbell’s brother, Ryan, up from Louisiana, in part, to visit his new nephew, was at his first Parade of Lights.
“We’ve got a lot of Mardi Gras things” back home, he said with a laugh.
The parade, presented by American Furniture Warehouse and produced by the Downtown Denver Partnership, repeats at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Denver Parade of Lights was established in 1975.
