Thousands of people crowded the streets of Hamilton this afternoon to witness the 2011 Bermuda Day Parade.Dancers, drummers and dozens of parade floats set out from Bernard's Park while revelers played music throughout Marsh Folly and Cedar Avenue.Elaborate costumes and even more elaborate floats marked the festivities, with Bermuda kites, palm leaf dolls and a recreation of the Sea Venture stranded on the rocks.While many floats focused on the highlights of the Bermuda community, others noted the recent upswing in gun violence.Anti-violence group Stand Up Bermuda entered a float featuring the names of shooting victims, while the Showtime Dancing troupe wore camouflage emblazoned with the words "Stop the violence."On Front Street, families and strangers stood together under tents as the parade moved steadily past, while at the City Hall Car Park, more than 100 people sat on bleachers watching the various dance troupes perform.Jahria Roberts said she had seen the parade every year for as far as she could remember."It seems slower than in the past," she said. " There's a lot of time between everything, but that's a good thing. There's so much music that when they're all on top of each other, you can't hear anything."Maureen Burgess said she was enjoying the show more than in past years because this year, she was watching rather than participating."It was always fun, but it's so hot. It wears you out," she said. "I'm happy watching this year."Michael Rochester, from Toronto, said he was surprised by the scale of the parade."I was told there were only a few thousand people here," he said. "It looks like they're all out today."Click here to see our Bermuda Day photo gallery: http://www.royalgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/tngallery?Site=RG&Date=20110524&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=524009998&Ref=PH