The Spirit of Houston marching band will join all of Houston in the parade celebrating the Astros winning their first world series title. | File photo/The Cougar
For the first time in 22 years, Houston will host a championship parade. At 2 p.m. Friday, fans from all over the city will flock downtown to Smith and Lamar to watch the Astros celebrate their first-ever World Series title.
The parade will be an all-Houston affair with the Spirit of Houston band marching along with the Astros. The UH marching band announced the news Thursday afternoon via its Twitter page. Band members who double as diehard Astros players said they will cherish the parade.
“It’s extremely humbling and I’m super excited to participate in this piece of history,” said sophomore finance major and mellophone player Sam Scott. “I never thought I’d be able to get this close or participate in something like this.”
The parade will proceed in a rectangle. Starting at Smith at Lamar, it will proceed north on Smith, then east on Walker, south on Milam, west on Pease, north on Smith and ending at Lamar Street. The parade will commence at 2pm.
Mayor Sylvester Turner will also march in the parade, which he hopes at least 750,000 Houstonians attend.
“Let’s have the largest championship parade that’s ever been seen in the state of Texas,” he said at a news conference Thursday, according to the Houston Chronicle. “Let’s show up in a major way.”
For lifelong Astros fans like Scott, seeing the team win a championship is a dream come true. The parade is the conclusion of a season that fulfilled the hopes of fans who suffered through so many losing seasons; and for bandwagoners, one more time to party in the streets for the men in orange and white.
“It’s surreal,” Scott said. “After all the destruction and despair this city suffered, it’s wonderful to have something that unifies us.”
