Crowds gather for beloved Fourth of July parade in Corrales

CORRALES, N.M. — Hundreds of people woke up early Fourth of July and snagged a great spot for one of the most popular Fourth of July events in the metro.

A crowd gathered along the village streets of Corrales for their annual patriotic parade Tuesday morning.

“I think I have more fun than everyone else doing the parades and stuff. It’s a lot of fun,” parade participant Steven Silva said.

Silva is a regular participant each year. He has a crowd-favorite vintage firetruck.

“It’s a 1975 Ford 900 cab-over, one of the most famous cab-over trucks made,” he explained.

Silva says he always loves watching people cheer as the firetruck comes down the street.

“I live in Corrales so being able to support it and we do starlight parade and it’s a lot of fun. It’s more fun with the kids. The kids are why I do it. They have grandkids and kids. It’s fantastic,” he said.

Enock Mbumba is a regular in the parade too.

“It was cool. I mean, I do this almost every year now. It’s been two years with the firetruck but I love it,” Mbumba said.

He says he’d rather be in the parade than be one of the hundreds watching it.

“Seeing everybody’s smiles on their faces, it’s awesome. It’s a great feeling to celebrate locally. It’s fantastic,” Silva said.

From classic cars to horses and everything in between, everyone can find a favorite float.

“It was pretty cool. It was my first time being out here in this festival and it was pretty nice just to make some noise and be happy and wave to everyone,” paradegoer Valeria Brenes said.

“Happy Fourth of July, America!”

After the parade, they also had food trucks in the park and even a water fight.