Anthony Mosley
Grady Spencer and the Work perform on a float at the 2019 GM Financial Parade of Lights.
With reserved seating tickets going on sale Wednesday for the GM Financial Parade of Lights, event organizers have also dropped more details on what to expect when the downtown tradition returns to an in-person format this year.
The parade, scheduled to take place Nov. 21, will follow a theme dubbed "Making Spirits Bright," showcasing more than 100 decorated floats and over half a million sparkling lights. Attendees can also expect to see marching bands, antique cars, precision equestrian units, horse-drawn carriages, and carolers, with Santa and Mrs. Claus concluding the show on a specially designed, LED-lit, grand finale float.
Anyone can catch the parade for free as it travels the route along Weatherford, Commerce, Ninth, and Houston streets, as well as Second and Throckmorton streets near the Aloft Fort Worth Downtown hotel. Those looking to get the best view, however, can purchase a reserved spot among three rows of chairs fronting the road, called Street Seats.
2021 marks the parade's 39th year, growing since it began with a crowd of about 25,000 spectators and 25 floats in 1983. Last year's parade took place virtually due to COVID-19, broadcast on the event's Facebook page and on TXA-21 from the Fort Worth Convention Center.
The 2021 parade will also be broadcast on TXA-21.
Float applications are open through Oct. 15, and the event is also seeking volunteers and sponsors. More information is available at fortworthparadeoflights.org.
