Gasparilla Pirate Fest

The Gasparilla Pirate Fest is a festival in Tampa that occurs every year in which pirates invade and capture the city of Tampa.

Jose Gaspar is thought to have ruled the Tampa Bay and Gulf of Mexico in the late 1800’s.

Gasparilla occurs on the last Saturday of January each year. There are a number of events that take place with the Parade of the Pirates being the main attraction.

The Invasion

Spectators wait along the shore as the large replica pirate ship floats through the Tampa Bay with cannons blasting.

Aboard there are Krewe members dressed as pirates with guns, cigars, parrots and the entire gamut of pirate accessories.

They enter the city and pull onto the steps of the Tampa Convention Center and capture the keys of the city from the mayor.

After the invasion there is the Parade of the Pirates (usually just called the Gasparilla parade) in which over 400,000 people attend each year.

Parade of the Pirates

The parade features marching bands, community leaders and celebrities from the Tampa Bay area.

You will often see members of the New York Yankees, who have spring training in Tampa.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ players or other Tampa teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning often participate in the parade as well.

After the parade there is a street festival with concerts on the various stages throughout the area and carnival rides and attractions for the kids.

Just to give you an idea of what to expect from the entire Gasparilla festival, there will be lots of people, plenty of noise and lots of alcohol consumption.

Considering the huge crowds and large consumptions of alcohol the police and security officials do an excellent job keeping everything under control.

Usually there are not a lot of problems, just plenty of people out trying to have a good time.

Gasparilla Extravaganza

The Gasparilla Extravaganza has its own version of the Gasparilla Pirate Fest, the Children’s Gasparilla Parade.

Also throughout the day there is the Gasparilla Pre-Schooler’s Stroll which features children 5 and under in pirate costumes walking or cruising aboard their wagons, strollers, and bicycles.

There is also an air invasion that takes place with vintage aircraft that perform acrobatic feats in the skies.

After the parade there is a large “Piratechnic” fireworks display that caps off the night as the city re-creates the imaginary sea battle between the pirates of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and the City of Tampa.

The Gasparilla Pirate Fest is a local tradition that dates back over 100 years and many people really look forward to the celebration every year.

I must warn you that there are some people that do not enjoy the festival because of the large amounts of people. As for me, I love the crowds and enjoy the energy of the festival.

Try it for yourself and hopefully you will enjoy the Gasparilla Pirate Fest.

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