Artist Sara Balbuena remembered her good friend Amber "Sunshine" Casares, 34, who died two years ago from a drug overdose.
Sharon Koger thought about her grandfather Walter Edward Carlyon III, 62, who died from diabetes complications in 2006.
TC Tolbert, founder of the organization Made for Flight, remembered Luisa Alvarado Hernandez, 23, who was killed in Brazil last year. Hernandez was beaten, stoned and burned for being transgender, said Tolbert, who was among those carrying 60 kites made by the support group that commemorated 116 transgender victims worldwide.
Balbuena, Koger and Tolbert were among several thousand who gathered on North Fourth Avenue near East University Boulevard to either partake or watch the All Souls Procession on Sunday night.
Participants walked south on Fourth Avenue and into downtown - headed west on Congress Street to Mercado San Agustín, 100 S. Avenida del Convento, located west of the Santa Cruz River.
At the end of the nearly two-mile route lined by spectators, people gathered for performances, music and food.
A favorite show was that provided by Flam Chen, a pyrotechnic theater troupe that inspired an amazed response from the crowd during its performance.
Early in the procession, Pima Community College design student Alyx Shea, 20, walked with friends to celebrate the cycle of life and death, which is the essence of the All Souls Procession.
Motorcyclists parked their bikes in a row in front of O'Malleys, while families sat in the bed of pickups that lined the street.
For spectator Alma Ortega, this was her first time at the event. "I was curious and it seems like it will be fun," said Ortega. But while there, she, too, remembered loved ones who died. One was her mother, Margarita Flores, who died at age 81 from diabetes complications. It will be one year this Christmas Eve.
The sounds of drums and bagpipes filled the air - along with the smells of burning incense - as the procession began.
Participants portraying brides, saloon girls and bartenders took to the street. There also were characters from Walt Disney films, puppets on stilts and bicyclists donning skeleton characters with flowers in their hair, wigs or hats.
Some walked with photos of loved ones that were blown up to poster size.
Many Mouths One Stomach, a nonprofit arts collective, organized the popular event with help from volunteers.
The procession attracted about 20,000 people last year. The same number was expected Sunday night, but no official count was available.
On StarNet: See more photos from the All Souls Procession at azstarnet.com/photo
Contact reporter Carmen Duarte at 573-4104 or cduarte@azstarnet.com
