Here is a list of Gasparilla events around Tampa Bay!
ARRRRRGGGG Me Matey! It’s officially Pirate season in Tampa Bay!
Now remember these pirates have been locked up for over a year so they’re ready to set sail and take over Tampa Bay.
If you’ve lived in Tampa for a while, you’ve come to know about the Gasparilla Pirate Festival and all the events that go on around the Bay Area.
Every January, Gasparilla attracts people not only from Tampa but from all over to experience the pirate-themed festivities, which features a huge parade, live music, kid-friendly events, arts and more.
The name Gasparilla was born from the infamous Jose Gaspar, who was a notorious pirate that terrorized the coastal waters of West Florida during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He loved calling himself “Gasparilla”; Gaspar and his crew of pirates lived up to their reputations by living a life of seizing and robbing merchant ships off the Gulf Coast until 1821.
Ready to divide their loot and finally start living the good life, Gaspar and his pirates decided to take over one last ship. But little did they know, the ship they planned to seize was a United States Navy warship in disguise. The pirates were in for a huge surprise when they had to tackle bloody battle and of course the U.S. Navy ship crew reigned victoriously, ending the long career of Jose Gaspar.
In 1904, city officials decided to finally celebrate this victory! Secret meetings were held to develope the very first Gasparilla krewe, “Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla”. This new krewe would make Gasparilla history by surprising our city with a mock pirate attack on Tampa that has become known as the Pirate Invasion.
The invasion was such a success that Tampa city officials decided to turn Gasparilla into the well-known annual event that we’ve all come to love.
What makes the pirate invasion even more spectacular is that it involves the world’s only fully-rigged pirate ship, manned by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. The ship makes its way into the bay to kick off the festivities to “attack” Tampa Bay. The ship docks at the Tampa Convention Center to meet the mayor who must surrender the key to the city.
You’ll be able to celebrate with them for the next coming weeks with a variety of Gasparilla events going on around Tampa Bay.
Gasparilla Parade of Pirates
The Parade of Pirates returns January 29th, 2-6pm!
The parade begins at Bay to Bay Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard. It continues along Bayshore Boulevard to Brorein Street, turns east on Brorein Street, then north on Ashley Drive. The parade ends at Cass Street & Ashley Drive.
Reserved seating is available if you want to get undisturbed viewing of the parade, it must be purchased in advance. If you choose not purchase reserved seating, be sure to get there early to get a great spot along the route. It gets PACKED!
Remember these pirates have been contained for over a year, so it’s going to be a great big party!
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Gasparilla Pirate Fest
Once the Parade of Pirates is over, the party continues! The Pirate Fest will feature live entertainment on two stages pre and post parade in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park (Ashley and Twiggs), and MacDill Park (Ashley and Whiting).
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Sant' Yago Knight Parade
If you want to continue the pirate festivities, you won’t have to wait long! The Sant’ Yago Knight Parade will be invading the streets of Ybor city on February 12th with the festivities going on 4pm-11pm.
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Gasparilla Distance Classic
Now if you’re into doing a little cardio, you can participate in the Gasparilla Distance Classic. The event will be going on February 26th and 27th along the beautiful Bayshore Boulevard. You will be able to run in various races, whichever you choose whether it’s the 5K or half marathon. The best thing about the race is that’s family friendly and you don’t have to be an experienced runner.
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Gasparilla Music Festival
The Gasparilla Music Festival will be taking over Curtis Hixon Park February 25-27th. There you will be able to enjoy various tunes from bands while enjoying the great outdoors of our city.
Gasparilla Outbound Voyage
The Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla will celebrate their conquest of Tampa with a celebration you won’t want to miss that will feature live music and more, as the pirates get ready to set sail from the city launching from Sparkman Warf! The event will kick off at 2pm and last until 10pm.
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