Ybor City celebrates Latin culture at annual Illuminated Knight Parade

TAMPA, Fla. - The Krewe of Sant’ Yago packed the streets in Ybor City during the Illuminated Knight Parade for a celebration of Tampa's rich Latin culture.

What they're saying:

Kendall Perez is La Reina 53, or the Queen, for the Krewe of Sant’ Yago.

"My dad is Puerto Rican and my mom is Spanish," Perez said. "It's exciting, it's really amazing to be able to be a part of all of this and be able celebrate our culture."

Rick Brown is El Rey 53, or the King, for the Krewe of Sant’ Yago.

 "My wife's grandmother grew up on this street, you know, so it goes a long, long way back," Brown said. "The Latin culture is great; the Latin people are great. I've enjoyed the heck out of this crew."

Big picture view:

This is a 50+ year tradition that also raises money for education.

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Joe Parrino serves as El Barón 52 in the Krewe of Sant’ Yago.

"We have an education foundation that has raised over $5 million over the last 30 plus years for students at HCC, USF and University of Tampa," Parrino said.

Dig deeper:

One large part of Tampa and Ybor City specifically is cigars.

That made Carlos Fuente Jr., the chairman of Arturo Fuente Cigars, the perfect pick as the Grand Marshall of this year's parade.

"I was born in the cigar industry right here in Ybor City, raised inside the cigar factory," Fuente said. "I'm third generation, and we're working on the fourth now."

Local perspective:

For Fuente, this position is an honor after a lifetime spent in Ybor City.

"I walk up these streets, I hear the roosters, I hear a train going and, you know, when it comes by, I go to a Columbia restaurant," Fuente said. "I walk out; I smell it. I smell my grandfather's cologne, my mother's perfume that walked up and down these streets."

For some families, this parade is more than just an event, it’s a family tradition.

"I've been in the crew for 21 years. My wife's grandfather was one of the actual founders of the crew," Parrino said. "And my daughter was actually the 50th queen of the crews. So this is a big family event for us every year or so."

The Krewe of Sant’ Yago invited others to join the fun, including the DeSoto Historical Society Queen's Court.

What they're saying:

Jordan Rowland is the DeSoto Historical Society Princess for 2025-2026.

"We're a historical society first and foremost, we love history, and we want to share it with everybody we know, and so it's a big deal to me to be able to share with the community," Rowland said.

Madyson Greenman is the DeSoto Historical Society Queen for 2025-2026.

"And it's just been so surreal. And we serve our community, Bradenton, we go out, and then we get to do fun events like this, which is such a great program," Greenman said.

The Illuminated Knight Parade is the largest illuminated night parade in the southeast, according to the Krewe of Sant’ Yago website.