Thousands gather for Pineville's 2019 Christmas Parade!

It was the perfect day for some holiday fun in Pineville on Friday evening!

The annual Pineville Christmas Parade kicking off at 7 p.m. brought out thousands of Cenla residents.

There were over 130 entries participating in the 2019 parade, making it one of the largest the city has seen.

Families began lining up hours before the parade to make sure they had a great view.

Pineville’s Mayor Clarence Fields said it’s an event he looks forward to every year.

“It's a culmination of a season,” Mayor Fields explained. “And then bringing people together to enjoy something that they so enjoy but at the same time, celebrating Christmas, celebrating the birth of Jesus with lights and floats and just people mingling together."

City officials were also happy to name Rapides Parish Superintendent Jeff Powell as Grand Marshal.