LAKELAND, Fla. — Fireworks lit up the night sky in Lakeland Thursday evening as the city's 39th annual Christmas Parade stepped off from the RP Funding Center and made its way through downtown.
- Parade had 110 participants
- Theme was "The Joy of Giving"
- More Polk County stories
This year's theme was "The Joy of Giving."
Thousands of parade goers packed three or four deep on the sidewalks to see the floats and performers along the route.
Maryah Mackey brought her 3-year-old daughter. The native New Yorker said it reminded her of home where she said the holidays are "a big deal."
"I just like the energy," she explained. "I'm from New York, so this type of stuff I really like. All these people on the street. It's really cool."
For others, it's a tradition.
Mindy Lesinski has been coming to the parade since she was a little girl.
This year she stood on the sidelines, dancing and laughing with her own children.
"Oh it's great. We love coming here. We come every year and one of my daughters is even in the parade," she said.
People also lined up to buy food and drinks at restaurants along the parade route.
Marcos Fernandez owns Nineteen61, a restaurant that recently relocated to downtown.
"It's a very good community affair. For our business, it's great because it's good exposure," he said.
The parade had 110 participants.