Fat Tuesday returned to Dunedin on February 17, and the city showed up exactly the way it should. The weather was perfect—clear skies, cool and dry. Downtown was closed to traffic, opened to pedestrians, and filled with everything that makes this town worth documenting. The parade stepped off just after 7 p.m., led by Dunedin’s finest emergency crews strutting out freshly washed and polished firetrucks. Local businesses rolled through on floats that punched above their weight for a town this size. A percussion band kept the beat. Baton twirlers spun through intersections, followed by flag twirlers. And from the bow of a pirate float, beads flew into an audience that came ready to catch them. Musicians played. Vendors served local bites alongside familiar chain merchants. The scent of street food mixed with the salt air from the coast. Beads. Bands. The aroma of fresh beignets in the air. It was Mardi Gras in Dunedin. The crowd stretched blocks deep. Families. Dogs. Visitors from nearby towns. Locals who have watched this parade for decades. All ages. …