Hundreds of thousands expected in Tampa for Gasparilla, the city’s annual pirate fest

Aaaar! Pirates invade Tampa in massive street fest

TAMPA, Fla. — Dave Pagano started his life as a pirate a few years back wearing a white linen shirt with puffy sleeves and open neckline.

Then he bought a bandanna, a dredlock wig, a musket replica, a sword, a knife, and this year, $500 worth of beads.

Pagano is a Tampa pirate, and later this month, he will be in his buccaneer glory when the city’s annual pirate festival, Gasparilla, kicks off. Gasparilla, which is more than a century old, attracted 350,000 people last year. It’s known for its rowdy, Mardi Gras-style atmosphere — including bead-tossing by costumed revelers.

Pagan will be among them, wandering the crowds during three parades, handing out long strings of beads — some with rubber ducks attached. (The ducks also wear pirate hats).

“You cannot describe the fun you have doing it,” said Pagano, a 50-something business consultant who even on New Year’s Eve sat in a bar dressed in full pirate regalia.

Tampa and pirates go way back, long before Jack Sparrow or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team.

According to city lore, a Spanish pirate named Jose Gaspar terrorized the west coast of Florida in the 18th and 19th centuries. The swashbuckler’s legend was unearthed in 1904, when some enterprising city leaders — having just returned from Mardi Gras in New Orleans — decided that Tampa needed its own street festival.

The festival organizers adopted Gaspar as a patron saint. Early Gasparilla parades featured a “krewe” — high-society social club members in full pirate regalia — arriving on horseback and “capturing” the city.

Later, krewes, which is also what Mardi Gras clubs are called, became more plentiful, the costumes more elaborate. Led by that first initial group, Ye Mystic Krewe, the krewes arrived via boat, floating from Hillsborough Bay into the city’s downtown to seize the key to the city from the mayor, who always plays along.

With hundreds of thousands of people turning out to watch, it’s easy to see why folks like Pagano tend to get a little pirate-obsessed all year round in Tampa.

But you don’t need an elaborate costume to enjoy the Gasparilla fun. A pair of comfortable shoes and a little pre-party planning will do.

“The people who will enjoy Gasparilla the most will be the ones who plan ahead,” said Darrell Stefany, the president of Event Fest, which produces the annual Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest.

The first event takes place Jan. 23, with the Children’s Gasparilla Extravaganza. This is an alcohol-free event, with bike rodeos, children in pint-sized pirate costumes and fireworks. Held in the same location as the adult-themed parade a week later, the children’s parade is family friendly and free, although you can purchase reserved seating.

The true bacchanal begins on Jan. 30, with a 10 a.m. “Invasion Brunch” at the Tampa Convention Center.

Stefany said out-of-town visitors planning to partake in the festivities on that day should decide ahead of time where to park; he suggests people leave their cars at Raymond James Stadium several miles away and take shuttle buses to the parade route.

The route has changed a bit this year. With former Tampa Bay Buccaneer player Mike Alstott as its grand marshal, the pirate parade will dock at the Tampa Convention Center at around 11:30 a.m. Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio will hand the keys to the city to the pirates, then the 90 parade floats (which look a little like giant motorized ships) will proceed down Bayshore Boulevard and into downtown between 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

This is when the parade crush is at its heaviest, with scores of people vying for beads thrown by krewe members on the floats. Reserved bleacher seating is available for the parade, and food and drinks will also be sold. All proceeds go to local charities.

Many of the krewes are affiliated with charities and participate in parades and events year-round. Ye Mystic Krewe is the oldest and largest, with 700 professional men as members, but others are grouped around ethnicities (Irish, Italian, Spanish) or hobbies.

There’s Krewe of the Peg Leg Pirate (which raises money for amputees); Krewe of Mustang Sallies and Ryders (fundraises for a local child abuse prevention council and the Animal Coalition of Tampa); Krewe of F Troop (men only, dedicated to “Good ol boy Fun.”) There’s Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O’Malley (named after a real female Irish pirate) and the Krewe of Pair O’Dice (people who like to gamble). And so on.

Before, during and after the parade, there’s also a giant street festival on Ashley Street in downtown Tampa, with bands, food and drinks. Collective Soul will headline the main concert.

This year’s parade takes place against a backdrop of bad news about real pirates. Pirates have hijacked more than 80 ships in the last two years off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. Attackers hoping for multimillion-dollar ransoms now hold 14 vessels and close to 300 crew members; last month, pirates even hijacked a vessel that originated from the Port of Tampa.

Tampa’s pirates sometimes cause trouble too, though it’s less serious. Because of problems in residential areas near the parade and public drunkenness in past years (141 people were arrested during the 2009 fest), Tampa Police will have a larger presence this year and crack down on inappropriate behavior.

But the Gasparilla fun doesn’t stop in January.

On Feb. 27-28, there’s the Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K and 5K race (to work off all those calories you consumed during the parades).

And if you miss the pirate invasion, there’s always the “Outbound Voyage” on Sunday, Feb. 27. That’s when some 500 pirates and Ye Mystic Krewe meet up with Mayor Iorio to formally return the key to the city and sail away to the sounds of cannon blasts.

“It captures your imagination, it captures your heart,” said Bill Rogers, the promotions director at Gaspar’s Grotto, the only pirate-themed bar in Ybor City, Tampa’s large nightlife district.

The bar sells tasty Cuban sandwiches and displays decades of pirate lore on the walls, including years of commemorative Gasparilla beads.

During Gasparilla season, Gaspar’s Grotto is packed with krewe members and like-minded pirates — but it’s also a welcome spot for pirates like Dave Pagano, who can often be found at the bar in full pirate costume year-round.

“You want to be a pirate in this town?” said Pagano. “Be a pirate! Go ahead.”

If You Go

GASPARILLA: The Festival begins on Jan. 23, with the Children’s Gasparilla Extravaganza. A week later, on Jan. 30, the Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest parades through downtown Tampa starting at 11:30 a.m. That same day, a street festival with music, food and drinks is held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in downtown Tampa. For more information, including parking, tickets for reserved seating and frequently asked questions: www.gasparillapiratefest.com.