On December 2nd me and my family went to check out the 10th annual Albuquerque Twinkle Light Parade. Last year it was voted in as one of the top 10 best holiday parades in the country!

"In 2016, the Twinkle Light Parade was named #2 Best Holiday Parade in the Country by USA Today 10Best!" (http://www.cabq.gov/culturalservices/things-to-do/annual-events/twinkle-light-parade/twinkle-light-parade/)

As usual, parking in Albuquerque was difficult but we found a spot and walked about a mile to Girard where the parade ended. We got there just in time! The weather was perfect! It was very crowded because, as Mrs. Ortiz explains in this interview is “that this is the biggest parade that we’ve had,” said Bree Ortiz, events and operations manager for the city of Albuquerque. “The past couple years, we’ve had about 90 entries, and one entry could be a car club of six cars. One entry could be the Girls Scouts – that brings about 300 to 400 Girl Scouts. One entry could be a giant float or a marching band, so we usually have about 90 entries, and this year we have 110, so that is 3,500 people in the parade. … We’re very excited.” (The Albuquerque Journal, https://www.abqjournal.com/1099647/twinkle-light-parade-brightens-central-with-holiday-cheer.html)

We brought our own hot chocolates and squeezed our bodies into the crowd for a better view. One thing I noticed right away was that there were very tall grown-ups that took up the majority of the very front row of spectators. Even with our 3 little boys trying to get a better view, these adults would not budge. Our kids gave up trying to get to the front and sat on the ground behind these people so they could see the parade through the spaces between the legs of the crowd. As a parent, I was very disappointed with the adults behavior. The kids grew board and frustrated because they couldn't see the parade very well. We decided to try a different spot further down the road for a better view. With a lot of luck, we came upon a family that was just leaving and we were able to take their place at the front. Our boys sat on the curb so the people behind them could see and we welcomed in other kids who didn't have a view to share the one we had found.

Even though we had rough start we were able to have a great family night out to watch the parade. I feel like our boys recognized the inconsiderate behavior of the adults in front of them and were able to look to me and their father for guidance on how to handle the situation. In the end they impressed us with their thoughtfulness to share their great view with other kids who seemed to be having the same trouble with the crowd. We ended the night with pizza at Sagio's!

Parade Results

Best in Show - Tumbleweed Snowman by AMAFCA

2nd Place Overall - Polar Express by the Southwest Carpenters Union

3rd Place Overall - Clausecrete by Duke City Redi-Mix