Gasparilla Pirate Fest 2024 Takes Over Tampa

Mayor Jane Castor Surrenders City Key to Ye Mystic Krewe in Annual Tradition

Pirates 'invaded' Tampa on Saturday for the annual Gasparilla Parade of Pirates, led by the pirate ship Jose Gasparilla II.
Mayor Jane Castor surrendered the key to the city to the scallywags of Ye Mystic Krewe.
Hundreds of pirates with 53 krewes celebrated their victory with a parade along Bayshore Boulevard into downtown Tampa.
Thousands of people lined the parade route, scrambling for beads and enjoying the floats and festivities.
The event is named for the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar, who according to legend plundered ships and captured hostages in the Gulf of Mexico from the 1780s until around 1821.