Nights like these come only once a year in Ybor City.

Tampa’s annual Knight Parade returned this February, drawing thousands to the historic district for the city’s only nighttime illuminated parade — an event organizers and attendees say felt especially meaningful this year.

Months of preparation go into the celebration. For Knight Parade Grand Marshal Carlos ‘Carlito’ Fuente Jr., the event carries decades of personal history rooted in Ybor City.

“I walk up these streets, I hear the roosters. I hear the train going, when it goes by. I go to Columbia restaurant. I walk up. I smell it. I smell my grandfather’s cologne, my mother’s perfume that walked up and down these streets,” Fuente said.

This year’s parade spotlighted the city’s Latin heritage, a point of pride for many participants.

“My dad is Puerto Rican and my mom is Spanish. So, it’s really exciting and amazing to be able to be a part of all of this and be able to celebrate our culture,” Kendall Perez, 2026 La Reina (Queen), said.

The illuminated procession began at 7 p.m., featuring floats covered in lights, elaborate costumes and pirate-themed pageantry.

“I mean it’s a beautiful parade. It starts at 7 o’clock, an all illuminated night parade. So all the floats will have lights on them. It’s beautiful, it’s fun. We do a lot for the community. We have an education foundation that has raised over five million dollars over the last 30 plus years for students at HCD, USF and University of Tampa,” Joe Parrino, part of the Krewe of Sant’ Yago Baron, said.

The Knight Parade coincided with Valentine’s Day, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Especially on Valentine’s Day, many people at and even in the parade, like some of the women in the Ye Krewe of Sir Henry Morgan, say as much as they love being with their friends and family on nights like this, there is something extra special about sharing their love for Tampa.

For many, the celebration evokes comparisons to Louisiana’s famous carnival season.

“The Knight Parade is the closest thing we have to Mardi Gras. The energy down here is so much fun. Nothing makes Ybor more fun than a bunch of people dressed like pirates having a great time,” Dotti DiFiore with the Ye Krewe of Sir Henry Morgan said.

The City of Tampa’s only nighttime parade featured countless floats, festive costumes and even illuminated skeletons named after Captain Jack Sparrow.

“So we had Captain Bones previously but Captain Bones kind of fell apart. He was just a pile of bones so we needed something a little more substantial. So, we brought Jack. We are at the Knight Parade. It is the light-up parade as well, so Jack lights up. We wanted to make sure that he had a great experience on his first parade,” Erin Dougherty, also in DiFiore’s Krewe, said.

While it may have been Jack’s first appearance, for many revelers in Ybor City, the Knight Parade remains a yearly tradition — one that keeps them coming back long after the lights go out.