The ECHO's Paul Gorst reports exclusively from the open-top bus as Liverpool celebrate their new status as Premier League champions
From the hazy red smokescreen that engulfed the Childwall Fiveways, to the electric firework display on Kensington's cusp, this was Liverpool - as a club and as a city - putting its heart and soul on show for the world.
This was a spectacular showcase of everything this region stands for: Civic pride mixed with worldwide inclusivity; the day that occupied 35 years of Reds fans' daydreams delivered on every level here.
It all started at around 2:30pm as the bus ferrying the new champions of England crept out of Allerton Maze onto Mather Avenue only to be greeted by hundreds of supporters in full-blown party mode.
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Having painted the town red until the wee small hours at the Municipal Building on Sunday night, it was a case of hair of the dog for more than a few in the Reds squad as they geared themselves up one for one final city-wide celebration of success.
Captain Virgil van Dijk shoulder rolled next to DJ Calvin Harris as the square-shaped frames of Harvey Elliott, coupled with his subdued body language, betrayed him as he did his utmost to shake off the effects of his late-night indulging. As one of the youngest in the squad at 22, he will have found little sympathy from his colleagues as they prepared to savour the finest hour of their greatest season.
From there, a shuttle across Allerton Road and to Queens Drive was a glorious prelude to remarkable scenes at the Fiveways that were bathed in red.
Harris, as the master of ceremonies, timed his set to perfection as One Kiss - the 2018 hit with Dua Lipa that has been adopted by Liverpool fans - dropped at the most perfect time, setting in motion the sort of spontaneous act that only happens when you have waited your whole life to usher in this day.
Curtis Jones, the city-centre-born midfielder, perhaps knows that more acutely than anyone in the Reds squad, and it was fitting he was sitting front of centre, with his arms draped around the Premier League trophy itself.
Dominik Szoboszlai could be seen hoisting a football off the roof of the open-top bus like he was dunking in the NBA, while Alisson Becker watched it all unfold, flowing hair and shades on, looking like the coolest man on the planet. No change there then.
Arne Slot, the head coach whose seamless adaptation to Liverpool life helped bring home league title No.20, posed for a selfie on the back of the bus, while Sir Kenny Dalglish and Jurgen Klopp - two of the most iconic characters of Anfield's storied history - watched on next to each other with beaming smiles.
As the two managers in charge of league titles No.18 and 19 for the Reds, they, more than anyone, will know the pride coursing through the veins of the current man in the hotseat.
Sadly, the day did not pass without major incident, and a serious road-traffic collision involving pedestrians on Water Street was a harrowing development that took the shine off what should have been a day of an unfiltered joy. Merseyside Police have since confirmed the arrest of a 53-year-old white British male.
It was The Strand, as is now customary, that was the real hub of the day's action. Having spent the best part of three hours pounding the sort of dance classics that would have had Slot reminiscing about his recent trip to Ibiza's O Beach, the carnival-like mood was instantly transformed into something more prescient by the addition of You'll Never Walk Alone to the champions' playlist.
While it was entirely out of sync with the back catalogue of the chart-topping, dancefloor-filling Harris, as the thousands of Reds followed lined up to sing along, it also never felt more fitting.