ORLANDO, Fla. — Spectators came out to remember and pay tribute to the beloved civil rights leader at the 36th Annual Downtown Orlando Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Saturday morning.

The parade is in honor of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., who helped pave the way for equal rights for black Americans.

"Everybody's coming out to simply remember the legacy of Dr. King. And that's really what it's about," said Rev. Alger Studstill, president of the Southwest Orlando Jaycees and chairman of the downtown Orlando MLK Parade. 

He continued that despite our differences, the parade is about the community.

"No matter race, religion, background, it's about all of us being one community. And I think the more we do events like this, if it can happen here, that type of love, that type of spirit can spread throughout the country and right now, that's really what we need," Studstill said. "We're excited to just to see everybody coming together on this day to really demonstrate what Dr. King was all about."

And it was not just Studstill who appreciated what King did for Americans. 

"Well, I think it's nice because he did a lot of things for us and switched it, brought us all together," said Alex Dangerfield, 11, who is attending his first MLK parade. 

"Yeah, I just wanna get the candy," laughed Dangerfield. 

It was estimated that 8,000 spectators came to the parade, stated Studstill in a news release.

Studstill stated that the theme for this year's parade is: "King 2020, The Beloved Community: The Fierce Urgency of Now."

The parade started at 10 a.m.

36th Annual Downtown Orlando Martin Luther King Jr. Parade Route Map