It pays to walk the dog on a Sunday morning, even if you don’t feel like it.

Today, Moppit and I arrived at the Ancha around 8:30 a.m. to see a police car blocking the normally busy thoroughfare.

In the distance I could hear a familiar sound — the frentic beat of trance-dance music so beloved by killer clowns, life-size Disney characters and scarry looking mass-murderers (in costume only).

Yes! The popular Dias de los Locos Parade is back!

Every June, until Covid struck, thousands of locals would dress up in wild costumes to march, dance, prance, hop, and skip down the Ancha. An awful lot of them tossed hard candies into the thick crowds on the sidewalks (who often had upturned umbrellas to catch the bounty.

This year, it was a stealth parade. A lot of “in-the-know” people assured everyone else that the parade was canceled. Or limited to a dozen dancers.

Some people got the right dope because when I reached the Ancha, families had staked out open curbs to watch … a parade!

Our first Locos parade came right on the tails of Mexico’s stunning World Cup victory over Germany. We watched the early morning game at Murphy’s Irish Pub, As the game ended and the cheering died, we swiveled around in our seats and faced the street for three hours of crazy parade.

What a day.

This years parade — after an outright cancellation last year — was a sampler. And it was fun while it lasted — no more than 15 or 20 minutes.

Just wait for next year. It is going to be crazy.

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