WATCH: The full Day of the Dead Catrinas on the River parade in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – Crowds filled downtown San Antonio as the city held its first-ever Day of the Dead parade Friday.

The marquee event for the city's Day of the Dead celebrations featured colorful barges decorated with skeletons, skulls, candles, incense, marigolds and pan de muerto.

RELATED: The reason why marigolds are seen throughout the Day of the Dead river parade

Some beautiful altars and murals — honoring the likes of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, former San Antonio mayor Lila Cockrell and Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla — will remain at La Villita throughout the weekend for the Dia de los Muertos festival.

The three-day Day of the Dead celebrations are meant to honor loved ones who have passed away. The free festival will continue on Saturday and Sunday.

Parade Day Gallery! Day of the Dead parade floats and preps

Here's a look at some sights and sounds of the parade:

The Day of the Dead River Walk parade has begun! Watch all the festivities on KSAT 12, or choose from 10 different livestreams on our website: https://www.ksat.com/entertainment/day-of-the-dead/day-of-the-dead-river-walk-parade-livestream-page

Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Friday, November 1, 2019

About the Authors

Kolten Parker is digital executive producer at KSAT. He is an amateur triathlete, enjoys playing and watching soccer, traveling and hanging out with his wife.

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.

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