Laredo parades bring street closures, route changes this week

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Two major parades will bring street closures and festivities to Laredo this week as floats and colors flood downtown streets.

The IBC/Commerce Bank Youth Parade Under the Stars on Thursday, February 19, and the Budweiser Washington’s Birthday Parade, on Saturday, February 21, celebrating 150 years of Budweiser, will cause several street closures throughout the downtown area.

All city buildings in the downtown area will close at 4 p.m. Thursday, said Noraida Negron, public information manager for the city of Laredo.

“We’re encouraging residents that if you need to come here to city hall to do any kind of business: pay your bills, things like that, we will be closing our doors at 4 p.m. This is because most of these streets will be closed due to the parade,” she said.

Route change for Saturday’s parade

Saturday’s parade will take a different route this year due to construction. The parade route will extend one more block, turning on Houston St. instead of Victoria St.

“The route is basically going to extend one more block. Instead of turning on Victoria St., it’s going to turn on Houston St. The only reason why is the construction on Victoria St.,” said Armando Gomez, digital marketing manager for the Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association (WBCA).

Patricia Concha, a Laredoan, said the route change doesn’t concern her.

“We need the construction because we have to make improvements. We have maintenance. I think that’s okay because if we don’t do that, the city will go down,” Patricia said.

El Metro Transit will also reroute to accommodate the parade.

Safety tips for families

The Laredo Police Department will have a substantial police presence during the events and shared a safety tip for parents.

“If your child is small enough to get lost, take a picture of them on the way to the parade route. That way, you can tell what they look like or what they’re wearing. In case you happen to be separated from your child, then you can help the police out,” said Joe Baeza with the police department.

The IBC/Commerce Bank Youth Parade Under the Stars will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday on San Bernardo Ave. and Garden St.

For the first time in five years, the Clydesdale horses will make an appearance at Saturday’s parade for Budweiser’s 150th anniversary.

“We’re going to have so much fun, and we cannot wait to see everyone you know come out and just enjoy. It’s going to be a beautiful night,” Negron said.

For more information on WBCA updates, click here. For details on events, click here.

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