Chilly start to Gasparilla season
TAMPA (FOX 13) - The pirate flags were flapping furiously in the breeze and most of the young buccaneers were wearing winter coats on top of their best swashbuckling garb. But the chilly temperatures did not deter thousands of people from enjoying the Gasparilla Kids Parade.
The 2016 Gasparilla season kicked off with the Gasparilla Extravaganza Saturday afternoon, followed by fireworks over the bay.
The cool, damp morning may have convinced some would-be revelers to stay home; crowds were noticeably smaller than usual. But the clouds gave way to sun as the day went on, and there was plenty of bright sunshine even as the tail end of the Mid-Atlantic's massive winter storm sent chilly air gusting into Florida.
The parade wrapped up not long after sunset and was followed by a fireworks show that was illuminated by a nearly full moon.
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