first time ever -- but the downpour was not enough to dampen the spirits of Bermudians on their holiday.

Families remained encamped along Front Street listening to music, dancing, eating and simply chatting hours after the parade's cancellation despite having nothing but the passing traffic to watch.

As the rain poured throughout the morning and continued sporadically for the remainder of the day, it quickly accumulated over two inches, according the Bermuda Weather Service.

The Fire Service responded to floodings at Somerset Police Station and the junction of Palm Valley Road and Horseshoe Road. The parade, scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., was called off roughly an hour prior to the start -- largely because Bernard Park was under water.

Development and Opportunity Minister Terry Lister and Minister without Portfolio Randy Horton made the decision to cancel. Mr. Lister is expected to announce in Parliament today whether the parade will now go ahead on Sunday.

Despite the rain, there was still a bit of activity along the parade route yesterday.

Picture special on Page 41 Crowd party on despite rain ending parade fun A handful of the over 20 floats that were to appear in the parade took a cursory spin along Front Street in the afternoon and the Bermuda Regiment band performed for those dedicated onlookers who held their spots.

Parade marshall Leann Hayward told The Royal Gazette that the streets were loaded with people immediately prior to the scheduled start time.

"When the Bermuda Regiment marched in, people went crazy,'' she said.

"Everyone thought the parade was going to start. People were so disappointed.

They really wanted it to go on.'' The appearance of the rain-hearty Somerset Gombey troupe on Queen Street also caused a stir among those hungry for entertainment.

"It's the Gombeys, it's the Gombeys,'' rang out along the street as the troupe appeared around the corner beating their drums.

But a sudden downpour briefly extinguished the group's performance. "Look they're all running for cover,'' called out a member of the crowd as the group dashed under the awning at the Clubhouse restaurant.

But Somerset Gombeys managed to regroup and performed inside the restaurant and, later, in front of a crowd gathered outside the Bermuda Library.

Other would-be parade watchers created their own entertainment. A family set up outside Butterfield Place started a street dance and even drew a few tourists in as participants.

"Bermudians tend to be very positive,'' said Mr. Lister of the efforts to enjoy the day in spite of the rainy weather. "People are really committed to having good fun on Bermuda Day.'' Making the decision to cancel the parade was difficult, he said. "I was really disappointed for those that made the floats,'' he said. "There's been some suggestion that some of them may not survive to go ahead on Sunday. But I believe most will survive. The floats are absolutely superb, to see them was just great.'' When the call was made that parade could not go ahead there was quite a bit of confusion. Parade organiser Dr. Gary Burgess told The Royal Gazette that he didn't even think the parade had been cancelled.

Dr. Burgess said he was very disappointed with the cancellation and had thought only the activities at Bernard Park were meant to be called off, but not the parade portion. "But once the Police stand down, there's nothing you can do,'' he said.

In addition to spoiling the parade, yesterday's rain sent Bermuda's rainfall to date for both the month and the year past the normal average, meteorologist Ken Smith told The Royal Gazette .

Almost five inches of rain has fallen to date this May compared to the monthly average of 3.26. And 21.13 inches has fallen to date this year compared to the average of 19.91.

While it's been a wet month, it's certainly not the wettest ever. Mr. Smith pointed out that 11.7 inches fell in May 1997 and this May is still well away from that figure.

But it may have been the first time the Bermuda Day parade has ever been cancelled due to nasty weather. Mr. Lister said he'd tried to remember another occasion but had been hard pressed. "I guess it was time for it,'' he said.