In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the streets downtown St. Petersburg closed down for a parade in his honor.
- 40,000 turn out for St. Pete MLK Day parade
- Parade concluded at Tropicana Field
Bands, dancers and floats paraded through thousands of spectators in celebration of a man who changed the course of history and paved the way for opportunity for all. It was as significant as it was fun and that is why Mary Destin drove from Valrico to bring her daughter to see it all.
"To me it means a day of not only service but seeing how our community comes together to help others to be there for each other," stated Destin. "To make the world the way he wanted it to be which is everyone of different creed, color, race, and ethnicity being out here together celebrating what we do best music, art, food, activities and game."
Her daughter, Isabel might be too young to understand the full meaning but she was excited to see the dancers.
"I want to be in the Cheetah part!" she exclaimed as the women in costumes danced by.
For Jamal Gallon, participating in the parade was a sign of unity.
"It's very important, especially with politics today, that we can come together as a nation as we often do," said Gallon. "We know that some people disagree but we are here to come together as one big community and one big country."
The feeling of being part of something larger than yourself is the seed Destin wanted to plant for her daughter to grow.
"I wanted her to experience the bands, the comraderie, the different organizations that are going to be here today because this is her first MLK parade," said Destin.
Family Fun Day at Tropicana Field's parking lot followed the parade and offered families the opportunity to enjoy games, food, and just being together all day long.
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, 40,000 parade goers attended Monday's events. There were no major issues, and zero arrests.