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50th annual sunrise sale in St. Pete
St. Pete’s largest pajama party took place Thursday morning to drum up business for downtown St. Pete businesses. Matthew McCllean reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - They say the early bird catches the worm, and that's certainly the case for some shoppers on Thursday in Saint Petersburg. The best part for many shoppers is that they don't even have to change out of their pajamas.
Organizers of St. Pete's annual 'Sunrise Sale' tout the event as ‘Tampa Bay's biggest pajama party’, with as many as 50 merchants offering early morning sales, deals and discounts.
The participating businesses are located along, and next to, Beach Drive in the downtown core going west through the 600 block and out to the EDGE district, and also along the Fourth Street corridor going north up to 13th Avenue.
File: St. Pete Sunrise Sale.
In keeping with a tradition dating back to 1973, the Sunrise Sale kicked off at exactly 6:43 a.m. with the rising sun.
"Shoppers are encouraged to wear their pajamas and those who do are often treated to extra discounts or small gifts," Saint Petersburg's Downtown Business Association stated in an announcement.
File: St. Pete Sunrise Sale.
The event sees downtown filled at dawn with yellow flags, bright balloons and eager shoppers. Several restaurants offer breakfast specials to hungry shoppers.
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The event is open to the public, and maps are available to guide people to participating businesses.
St. Pete is giving shoppers a map with the location of participating merchants.
Shoppers can follow the Sunrise Sale announcements on Facebook. Special offers are highlighted leading up to the event.