25th annual Holiday Parade draws thousands to downtown Sarasota

Last year's holiday season was a quieter affair, with no Downtown Sarasota Holiday Parade drawing multitudes of locals and visitors alike to the downtown area for some 

This year was different. Tens of thousands gathered in downtown Sarasota for the 25th annual holiday parade on Dec. 4.

The parade's silver anniversary demanded a "Silver Bells" theme featuring nearly 4,000 participants.

School marching bands and cheer groups put on performances while countless dance groups twirled to carefully planned Christmas choreographs. 

Parade organizer Danny Bilyeu typically starts working on the next parade as soon as the current show ends, but got to work in June this year because of the uncertainties of COVID-19. He said while the number of parade participants was smaller this year, he felt quality trumped quantity. 

"We had a good quality show tonight," Bilyeu said. "It's always nice after it's over but (our participants) shined this year."

After a year away, Mark Welicki made his return as the official Santa Claus anchoring the downtown parade. Being back in the jolly red suit gave Welicki a rush — he felt like a rock star. 

Both he and Bilyeu felt like there were more kids this year, all cheering along with their families at the sight of Santa Claus. 

"You have to love these kids," Welicki said. "They fill your heart up — it makes my heart feel good, being at 200 years old."

The Best in Show award was presented to the Dark Side comics cosplay group, which had a number of costumed characters from Batman to Storm Troopers giving their looks a Christmas twist and acting it up for the kids in the audience.