Nearly 10,000 people, a record, celebrated at the eighth annual ManateeFest at Manatee Lagoon on Saturday., organizers said.
This is a 50% increase from last year at the event run by the Florida Power & Light Discovery Center.
Manatee Lagoon opened in 2016 to promote marine conservation and education around manatees.
The gates opened at 9 a.m. for the free family-friendly event that featured at least 40 vendors and exhibitors offering activities and information.
This year’s theme was Manatee Moments to spread awareness about conservation efforts.
“ManateeFest went so well this year.” Rachel Shanker, education and conservation Manager, said in a news release. “Mia the manatee was out on the dance floor having a great time and our vendors and exhibitors loved it as well as our guests. We all had so much fun and are looking forward to ManateeFest next year.”
You can learn more about the lagoon on its website .
WPTV anchor Michael William was the emcee at the event.