Gasparilla Pirate Festival

About this happenin

A fully rigged ship called the Jose Gasparilla sails into Tampa's downtown waterfront every January, trailed by hundreds of private boats firing back, and the pirates take the city key. The Parade of Pirates follows, four and a half miles of krewe floats and flying beads down Bayshore Boulevard along Hillsborough Bay, ending at the Riverwalk parks downtown. Roughly 300,000 people turn out. Gasparilla is free to attend, and reserved seating is sold separately through the festival's ticket site. The ship arrives around midday and docks at 1 p.m., and the parade rolls at 2 p.m. Stages at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and MacDill Park run music from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Bring a chair or a blanket. Not allowed on the parade route: coolers, pets, anything resembling a weapon. Beer and wine are sold to 21 and over. Families with young kids often prefer Children's Gasparilla, the alcohol-free daytime version held the Saturday before.

More in January: 10 other Tampa Bay events.

Where

Bayshore Boulevard and the Tampa Convention Center · 333 S Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602

Parking

Parking is available for a fee. The City of Tampa's Special Event Office posts the parking and traffic plan and street closures, and the festival publishes a streetcar and bus guide before the event.