Ford Holiday River Parade San Antonio 2023 – Start time, tickets, route & more!

Santa and Mrs. Claus return in 2023 with more glitter, laughter, and goodies to continue this lovely tradition of turning on the holidays at the Ford Holiday River Parade in San Antonio!

Everyone is extremely eagerly anticipating the 2023 Ford Holiday River Parade after having one hell of a time last year at the Ford Holiday River Parade 2022. It is a San Antonio River Parade tradition that presents a beautiful one-hour parade down the San Antonio River Walk for those of you who are unfamiliar with it. The illumination of the River Walk and the holiday season are both inaugurated by this themed parade, which is a San Antonio tradition. Who wouldn’t want to join in this?

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Editor’s Note: Our staff works hard to bring you the latest information. However, all information and offers cited in this article are subject to change.

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Check out our recent posts on Thanksgiving 2023 San Antonio Events, San Antonio Restaurants Open on Thanksgiving 2023, Stores Open on Thanksgiving 2023 San Antonio, Black Friday Store San Antonio 2023, and Christmas Lights San Antonio!

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Ford Holiday River Parade San Antonio 2023 – What to Expect

Taking place along the San Antonio River Walk for an hour, the 42nd Annual Ford Holiday River Parade is a cherished San Antonio event. The San Antonio custom of ringing in the Christmas season will begin with this year’s theme, Holiday Stories.

The San Antonio Thanksgiving parade and lighting ceremony, which is always held the day after Thanksgiving, will feature 28 decorated and illuminated floats, as well as over 100,000 lights lighting up the River Walk.

For those of you who are googling “When do the lights go up on the riverwalk?” or “When is the lighting of the riverwalk San Antonio”, the lights turn on from sunset to sunrise every day until the weekend following New Year’s Day.

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Ford Holiday River Parade San Antonio 2023 – Location & Parking

San Antonio River Walk location: 849 E Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78205, United States. The ticketed parade starts at Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Cir, San Antonio, TX 78205

More than 2,000 parking meters exist for you to find just the right space for your vehicle. In any case, you can find parking in the downtown area here. And you can also find your parade gate information here.

You can also view the entire Parade Route along with the parking information on the map below:

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Ford Holiday River Parade San Antonio 2023 – Hours

For anybody who’s been searching, ‘When is the San Antonio river parade?’ or ‘Where does the parade start and end?’, the San Antonio holiday river parade will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, November 24, 2023, and will go until 9 p.m. It will also be streamed live at the Arneson River Theatre at 7 p.m.

You can view the whole schedule below:

• 4 pm – River Walk closes to the general public. 
• 5 pm – River Walk gates open for ticket holder access.
• 6 pm – The parade begins at the Tobin Center and arrives later in other areas. (check map for times)
• 6 – 7 pm – Pre-parade show for ticket holders in the Arneson.
• 7 pm – Lighting of the River Walk.
• 7 – 8 pm – Televised Parade – Santa on the last float!

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Ford Holiday River Parade San Antonio 2023 – Tickets

The event is always held the day following Thanksgiving, and tickets can be purchased online for $12.40 to $40. You can purchase the tickets here. Also, children 2 years of age or older will need a ticket for the Parade. And tickets are non-refundable/non-exchangeable.

On the parade route, there are a number of free viewing places. This space is available on a first-come basis: East side of the River Walk between Pecan Street and Richmond Ave. 

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Ford Holiday River Parade San Antonio 2023 Dinner Packages

They’ve got a lot of restaurants providing dinner packages. You can find all the details on the restaurants providing dinner packages here. A lot of these were included in Ford Holiday River Parade 2021 restaurants and we assure you, they’re not going to disappoint this year either. 

So, how excited are you about the San Antonio Christmas Parade? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Traveling for Thanksgiving? Check out details about the HEB Thanksgiving Parade in Houston!