Scenes From Houston's Block Party Celebrating The Astros
World Series MVP George Springer lifted the championship trophy over his head for a roaring crowd over 1 million strong on Friday. The nation's fourth-largest city honored its title-winning Houston Astros with a parade through the streets of Downtown Houston.
Fans were 10 rows deep along the 20-block parade route, which was extended to accommodate the larger-than-expected crowd. Many partygoers packed parking garages and office buildings, offering a view from above (and a helpful way to return lost hats).
Watching people return this dropped hat at the parade today was unreasonably thrilling pic.twitter.com/1ghfUJsItw
— Josh Pherigo (@JoshPherigo) November 3, 2017
For over two hours, orange and blue confetti rained down and chants of "Let's Go Astros" and "Hous-ton As-tros" echoed off Downtown's skyscrapers.
Attendance was boosted by HISD canceling Friday classes, allowing students, staff and families to attend the parade. Fans began staking out parade spots early in the morning. By the time the parade started, it was bedlam. Despite the enormous number of people and the passion on display, the festivities went off largely without incident as law enforcement officials from the Houston Police Department and the Harris County Sheriff's Office coordinated.
The parade is the first championship for a professional sports team in the city since the Houston Rockets won back-to-back NBA titles in the mid-1990s, earning Houston its "Clutch City" nickname. The 1995 Rockets parade attracted an estimated 500,000 people.
"I want to thank every person here, every person in the city, every person in the State of Texas that believed in our team," Springer said at a brief rally in front of City Hall following the parade. "It's about time we brought home something for the great city of Houston."
