PICS: Spraoi gets sprayed but 10,000 still turn out for parade in Waterford

Monkeys, orangutans, gorillas… It wasn’t hard to spot the theme of Sunday night’s Spraoi parade through the streets of Waterford as the throngs lined the route for this year’s offering.

There were more than a few glances to the skies as the late hours unfolded and, after a weekend in which the organisers, performers, and patrons dodged more than a few weather bullets, the rain arrived with a vengeance just in time for the 9.30pm start to the parade. Still, up to 10,000 people emerged from under shelter to watch the parade — the numbers were down on previous years when the weather wasn’t so brutal.