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PARADE BLOG: Houston Astros World Series Championship Parade

Hundreds of thousands of excited Astros fans packed into downtown Houston for the World Series Championship Parade. If you can't be there, no worries.

Hundreds of thousands of excited fans packed into downtown Houston Friday to show their love for Astros at the World Series Championship Parade.

LIVE VIDEO: Tap here to watch live coverage now.

PHOTOS: Astros players at World Series Championship Parade


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WATCH: MVP George Springer thanks fans for believing in him

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WATCH: Josh Reddick channels Ric Flair

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WATCH: Dallas Keuchel gives love to Justin Verlander

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There were so many magical moments during the Astros World Series Championship Parade so we clipped videos of some of the highlights.

WATCH: Players address the crowd at parade

WATCH: Best of the Astros World Series Championship Parade

MORE: Woman drops hat from parking garage during parade, fellow Astros fans work to get it back to her

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Best seat in the house

Clockwise L-R: KHOU 11 Sports Director Bob Allen; Former Astro Ken Caminiti; Former Astro Darryl Kile; and  longtime Astros broadcaster Milo Hamilton. (GETTY IMAGES)

Can you imagine the Astros Parade watch party they had in heaven? We're sure KHOU 11 Sports Director Bob Allen, who passed away last year, was in the middle of it all. And longtime Astros announcer Milo Hamilton was doing the play-by-play. And former stars like Joe Niekro, Darryl Kile, Ken Caminiti and Jose Lima were cheering for the champions.

Fan pays tribute to the late Bob Allen during parade

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Cheers, tears as Astros pass through downtown

Many of the Astros fans who turned out for the World Series Parade have watched the team for decades. Everyone cheered -- and some cried happy tears -- as they finally watched a dream come true. KHOU 11 Meteorologist Chita Craft was cheering so loud she nearly lost her voice.

WATCH: Cheers, tears as Astros pass through downtown


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Climbing trees to get a good view! @Astros parade #Houston #KHOU11 pic.twitter.com/KUvM9Co2eJ

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Crowd goes crazy when Astros pass by

It was the moment hundreds of thousands of fans had waited hours for: The World Series Champion Houston Astros were the highlight of the parade as they passed by on three HFD fire trucks. Astros Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell joined other former 'Stros on the third truck.

WATCH: Crowd goes crazy when Astros pass by

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Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell at the World Series Championship Parade. (USAT Sports)

It was great to see Astros Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio join the team on fire trucks for the World Series Championship Parade. They were also in Los Angeles when the Astros crushed the Dodgers 5-1 in Game 7.

Biggio told MLB.com he got a little teary after watching the team win it all.

"You're old, you cry now," Biggio said. "It's what you're supposed to do."

Bagwell and Biggio, two of the most popular Astros of all time, played on seven playoff teams but only made it to one World Series where they were swept by the White Sox in 2005.

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Da plane, da plane!

KHOU 11 showed our Astros pride with a banner that reads "KHOU stands with the Astros" flying high over downtown Houston. Fans cheered as the plane flew over.

Astros head to the parade

We spotted the World Champion Houston Astros leaving Minute Maid to head over to the parade. MVP George Springer was carrying the World Series Championship trophy and Josh Reddick was sporting a giant orange foam cowboy hat.

WATCH: Astros leave Minute Maid for the parade

The Altuve Polka

Before the parade started, Astros fans were dancing in the streets Friday to the tune of the "Altuve Polka" by a band called Polish Pete and the Polka? Hardly Know Her Band.

WATCH: Band plays "Altuve Polka"

Photos: Astros fans pack downtown for parade

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Chita chats with fans

KHOU 11 Meteorologist Chita Craft chatted with excited fans while they waited for the Astros World Series Champion Parade to begin.

WATCH: Chita chats with fans at parade

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These fans are hyped!

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Astronauts to salute Astros

NASA’s Astros will salute the Houston Astros with a fly over of NASA T-38 trainer jets during the celebration. The aircraft will be flown by NASA research pilots David Johnson and William Pressley and astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Josh Cassada, Tracy Caldwell-Dyson, Jessica Meir, Tom Marshburn and Mike Fincke.

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Earlybirds get the prime spots

Diehard Astros fans determined to get the best seats for the World Series Championship Parade headed downtown at 1 a.m. Friday morning.

The City of Houston said Thursday it's expecting at least 700,000 fans to turn out. But the crowds grew so quickly Friday morning, they were forced to extend the parade route to St. Joseph's.

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We're going to Disney World!

After Houston celebrates the Astros at home on Friday, the championship team will be going to Disney World for a World Series victory parade.

World Series MVP George Springer and star players Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa will be honored with a historic victory parade down Main Street, U.S.A., at Magic Kingdom Park.

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5 Things to know about the Astros Victory Parade

1. Parade route; road closures; ride METRO for free

Traffic getting to downtown is a nightmare, according to our crews.

KHOU 11's Darby Douglas warns that, along with several roads being blocked around the parade route, there will be freeway exit ramps closed in downtown, including the Allen Parkway exit from I-45. Give yourself extra time to get to the area as the city is planning for a turnout of at least half a million people. Tap here for the parade route.

So many people have packed into downtown, they've extended the parade route to St. Joseph instead of Pease.

And you know parking will be expensive and a hassle. REMINDER, TODAY on the METRO bus and light rail system, it's FREE to ride as we celebrate the WORLD CHAMPION ASTROS. Info: http://ow.ly/pDUl30gkta3

2. You can't bring alcohol but you can bring lawn chairs

You can bring bottled water and other beverages - and you're encouraged to do so because it will be warm this afternoon. You CANNOT bring, however, alcohol or coolers. The city says police officers will enforce the state's open container law. You are allowed to bring lawn chairs, but unless you're on the front row you won't get much use out of them. The huge crowd expected today will likely make it necessary for you to stand to get a view of our champions.

3. It will be warm and muggy

It may be November, but this is Texas. We had near freezing temperatures a couple weeks ago, but this afternoon we will top out near 90 degrees as the celebrations get underway in downtown. Humidity will make it feel even warmer. KHOU 11 Meteorologist Chita Craft says it will be partly cloudy with a scattered rain chance, but you should prepare like you would for being outside on a summer day. Tap here for the latest weekend forecast.

4. Get there early

If you get to the parade area a few minutes before the 2 p.m. start, you're going to have a bad time. Give yourself at least an hour to find a place to park (or take METRO) and then find a spot along the route. Even then, don't expect to be in the first few rows of people. We reported this morning on KHOU 11 News that some fans were gathering on the route as early as 1 a.m. Still don't believe us? Check out this Facebook Live video.

5. You can get free food

Several restaurants and bars in our area are offering freebies and deals for Houston Astros Day. Some are even offering free shuttle service to and from the parade. Tap here for the list of deals.

And since we have your attention, check out the slideshow of our Champs returning home to Houston yesterday:

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Before You Leave, Check This Out