TAMPA, Florida — Two weeks after the Gasparilla parade, the party isn't over yet.
An estimated crowd of nearly 100,000 people flocked to Ybor City for the annual Knight Parade held by the Krewe of the Knights of Sant’ Yago.
The krewe is celebrating its 50th full year.
Despite threats of severe weather throughout the Tampa Bay area, rain on the parade didn't stop anyone from watching more than 100 floats along 7th Avenue and paying homage to the tradition.
"It's just rain. It's just water," Yolando Collazo said.
For Ray Favata, this year's parade felt more special. He was crowned king by the Krewe, known as El Rey.
It's a title his grandfather also carried when he was crowned the seventh king in 1979.
“During the parades, we didn't throw beads back then. I remember we had coins," Favata said in an interview ahead of the parade. "Back in the old day it was coins, and the pirates would shoot the guns and drop the shells and we had paper streamers.”
Founded in 1972, the Krewe of the Knights of Sant’ Yago started with five men wanting to honor Tampa and Ybor City’s Rich Latin heritage and culture.
The Krewe also gives back to help students succeed. Organizers said they've been able to provide more than $4 million in scholarships for local students to attend Tampa Bay area colleges and universities since 1994.
More than 100 floats took part in the parade.
Crowds are expecting the annual tradition to grow as the knights look forward to their next fifty years.
"We have been coming here for years and we can't miss it," Lea Grimes said.