DADE CITY, Fla. — Gasparilla wasn't the only event to draw thousands of people on Satuday.

The annual Dade City Kumquat Festival was back.

It's become an annual tradition for thousands to make their way to Dade City to try a kumquat for the first time.

"It's called the little gold gem of the citrus industry," said John Moors, head of the Dade City Chamber of Commerce. "You eat it whole, just like you would a grape. The peel and all. It's got a bit of sweetness, then a bit of tartness."

The growers say this was a big year for the Kumquat Festival because last year, a freeze hit right before the festival started. Folks couldn't even take some home because there were so few left.

"It was very, very frustrating," said Greg Gude, general manager of Kumquat Growers, Inc. "It was heartbreaking to just let people sample the kumquats because we only had a small amount."

That was not the case this year as the festival sold about 30,000 kumquats. The growers even ran out halfway through.

"This year we made sure we were going to have kumquats for this festival," Gude said.

While the fruit is the main attraction, along with kumquat pie which had long lines all day, 450 vendors were also at the festival showing off what Dade City has to offer.

"The reason we put this on is not just for the festival itself, but to have people come enjoy the city and see the shops and the restaurants and then come back again," Moors said.

This was the 22nd Kumquat Festival. It has grown from a small event to a huge one that draws thousands each year. ​