TYBEE ISLAND — Tybee Island residents and visitors are gearing up for a good soaking at the Georgia island's 25th Beach Bum Parade.

The parade Friday evening marks a quarter of a century since founders Jiggs Watson and Jack Boylston started a silly celebration that became a tradition on the Georgia coast. Every year Tybee residents join in a procession of floats pulled by pickup trucks as they spray the crowd with water guns, hoses and just about anything capable of leaving spectators dripping wet.

Watson and Boylston say they're surprised the event has lasted so long. They also acknowledge that the number of registered floats is lower than normal this year.

They attribute the slump to new rules aimed at making the parade safer that ban using pressure washers, ice and water balloons.