People clad in Christmas sweaters lined the streets of downtown Saturday evening as giant floats, enormous balloon cartoon characters and marching bands made their way through Denver.

Santa and his elves even made an appearance for the 47th annual 9News Parade of Lights.

Saturday’s parade was the first held in person since 2019 and many , including Chelsea Purta and her daughter Ewa of Denver, were ready for the fun.

Purta said she’s attended each parade since she was 6, the same age as Ewa. She said missing last year was a letdown but she was excited to be back Saturday.

“This year’s parade is super special because it might be the last one we go to because we might be moving out of state,” Purta said. “It’s just amazing to be able to pass something down that I did when I was little onto her, and hopefully it’ll be for more years to come.”

Although the Purtas watched last year’s virtual celebration, Ewa said she was excited to hear the music and see Santa again.

The two mile parade began at the steps of the City and County building at 14th Avenue and Bannock Street.

Sharon Alton, senior vice president of the Downtown Denver Partnership and the parade’s host, said they expected at least 100,000 people to attend. In years past around 200,000 people have attended, but Alton said she expected fewer people this year due to COVID-19.

Alton said the partnership was eager to bring back the holiday tradition to downtown.

“You never know how much you like something until you get it taken away from you,” she said. “It was tough not hosting the live event last year and so we’re excited to bring this event back.”

Lakewood resident Ashley Kersh said last year’s holiday season wasn’t the same without the parade. On Saturday she was joined by her three daughters and son, all ranging in age from 4 to 10 years old.

Earlier in the day, the Kershes decorated their Christmas tree, which is what they do every year before coming downtown for the parade.

“It’s like we’re restarting all of our traditions again,” Kersh said.

Sounds of laughter, clapping and cheering could be heard across downtown as the parade marched on. Many kids screamed in excitement when Santa, his elves and the other members of the parade came by.

And to many, including Alton, those excited faces are the best part.

“It’s just really special to see the excitement on people’s face,” she said. “That’s really what we love, and the parade really does kick off the holiday season.”