Pirates, Parades and Parties: Gasparilla Season in Tampa Bay

By Lauren Tjaden

Batten down the hatches!

For over a hundred years, the legendary pirate Jose Gaspar has invaded Tampa Bay every January, marking the start of two months jammed-packed with picarón parades, festivals and extravaganzas. It begins with an epic invasion by water boasting a pirate ship with thundering cannons and the nation’s third-largest parade; and includes the Children's Gasparilla, complete with its own parades and a famed fireworks display; the Gasparilla Bowl, an NCAA-sanctioned, post-season college football game; the Gasparilla Distance Classic road races; and music, art and film festivals.

Feast your eyes on the treasures you and your mateys can discover during Gasparilla Season in Tampa Bay.

Overrun by Scallywags: Gasparilla Pirate Fest Invasion and Parade

When the Jose Gasparilla, the only fully-rigged pirate ship in the world, sets sail for Tampa each January, it’s festooned with colorful flags; bristling with bellowing, smoking cannons; and swarming with over 750 buccaneers, each one shouting and shaking fists.
And it’s not alone. A massive flotilla accompanies the grand ship, hundreds and sometimes thousands of boats, each with its own cargo of swashbucklers.
This spectacular invasion carves across Hillsborough Bay and into Seddon Channel, between Davis Island and Harbour Island. When the Jose Gasparilla docks at the Tampa Convention Center, the Mayor of Tampa has no choice but to surrender the Key to the City to the Captain of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.
The Key to the City secured, the Krewe hails their victory in the raucous Parade of Pirates down Bayshore Boulevard, the third-largest parade in the United States. The captain and his Ye Mystic Krewe head over a hundred floats, a slew of marching bands and more than 50 Krewes. The procession winds through historic Bayshore Blvd and downtown Tampa across the 4.5-mile parade route, tossing beads and trinkets to a crowd of about 300,000.
The parade begins at Bay to Bay and Bayshore Blvd. and continues along downtown to Brorein Street, then turns on Ashley Drive. The parade ends at Cass Street and Ashley Drive.

Schedule

Convention Center Invasion: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Parade of Pirates: 2 – 6 p.m.

Viewing

While the primo seats for the invasion are at the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch at the Convention Center, other places in downtown Tampa, including waterfront hotels and spots along Davis Islands and Harbour Island, are ideal venues to watch this spectacle.

Parking

Parking is available at the Tampa Convention Center and throughout downtown, but arrive early. All side streets along Bayshore are closed to traffic. Remember the part about the 300,000 people?

A Knight to Remember: the Sant’ Yago Knight Parade

When Tampa's annual Gasparilla celebration winds down the party is just starting: next up is the Sant’ Yago Knight Parade, the largest illuminated night parade in the south. Celebrating Tampa’s civic pride every February since 1974, the parade promises to light up Ybor City with more than 100 organizations, costumed participants, illuminated floats, marching bands and special guests.

Just Kidding: The Children's Gasparilla

Held the next to last Saturday in January, a week prior to the Gasparilla Pirate Fest, the Children's Gasparilla is as epic as the adult-sized version, sans alcohol. Festivities include a parade that’s the largest children’s event in the nation; airshows; and one of the biggest fireworks extravaganzas in the United States. But that’s just the tip of the sandbar. Read on to discover some of the treasures the festival offers.

Pint-Sized Pirates

The tiniest tradition at Children’s Gasparilla is the Gasparilla Preschoolers’ Stroll, welcoming swashbucklers that are five or younger to parade down a half-mile stretch of Tampa's celebrated Bayshore Boulevard aboard decorated wagons, strollers and tricycles. Participants are required to pre-register, dress in pirate-themed attire and be accompanied by an adult.

Ride ‘Em, Pirate

Your kids can snag a free, brand new bicycle helmet at the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Rodeo, then climb on one of the Rodeo's bicycles and navigate a mini traffic course that teaches bicycle and pedestrian safety. Participation is free and you don’t need to pre-register.

Eyes to the Skies

The afternoon sky turns into a stage when the Gasparilla Air Invasion amps up the excitement with aerobatic teams, vintage military aircraft and The Chuters Parachute Demonstration Team.

A Swashbuckling Parade

A custom since 1947 and with bragging rights as the largest children’s event in the nation, The Gasparilla Children’s Parade is an alcohol-free procession that invites your little buccaneers to delight in the pirate spirit by calling for treasures from more than 100 elaborate floats. Expect marching bands, dancers, and school and community organizations. The Children's Gasparilla Parade begins at Bay to Bay and Bayshore Boulevard, continuing north along Bayshore Boulevard before ending at Edison Avenue.

Written in the Stars

The airshow reemerges during twilight hours with the Gasparilla Nighttime Air Invasion, including a heart-stopping, precision parachute jump from The Chuters Parachute Demonstration Team and Ghostwriter Airshows' signature fireworks flight.

A Fiery Finale

A word to the wise: don’t go home early.
The Piratechnic Firework Finale recreates the fictional battle between the pirates of YMKG aboard the Jose Gasparilla, the only fully rigged pirate ship in the world, and the City of Tampa. This annual showstopper began in 1904, and today it delivers one of the largest fireworks presentations in the country, launched from barges positioned off of the intersection of Howard and Bayshore in South Tampa and choreographed to music.

Take Note

Parking is available at the Fort Brooke Garage in downtown. A free trolley runs from the Publix on Bayshore and Platt throughout the day. Here’s information about the schedule.

Have a Ball: the Gasparilla Bowl

Kick off Gasparilla Season in December with the Gasparilla Bowl, an annual NCAA-sanctioned, post-season college football bowl game played at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. While you can expect riveting action on the field, it’s more than a game; the entire bowl week is a celebration of the Gasparilla tradition, brimming with fun and experiences for the student-athletes, teams, fans and partners.
It includes events like the Inshore Slam, a catch-and-release fishing tournament organized by The Gasparilla Bowl and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper; giving back to the community with a variety of programs; and a full program of festivities that varies each year.

Arts in the Park: the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts

Free to the public and attracting some 75,000 visitors, the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is one of the best outdoor fine art festivals in the country, a must-see event for art lovers for more than 50 years. Each March, it showcases up to 235 of the world’s most renowned artists, hand-selected from over 1,000 submissions, at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park in downtown Tampa. Artists vie for $80,000 in award money, including the $15,000 Raymond James Best of Show Award. The art includes a wide variety of art mediums and price points.  Live music, culinary attractions and areas designed for children and families round out the attractions.

Arrrgh you ready to run? The Gasparilla Distance Classic

February brings the Gasparilla Distance Classic Association’s Race Weekend to Tampa, offering a 5K, 8K, 15K, and half marathon, along with special events like a stroller roll, team challenges, and a military challenge. Every stride you take benefits charitable youth groups: Since its first running in 1978, the Association has donated $6.1 million in proceeds to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, The Friends of Tampa Recreation, and youth non-profit and running-related programs throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Lights! Camera! Action! The Gasparilla International Film Festival

A tradition for over 15 years, the highly lauded Gasparilla International Film Festival is Tampa Bay's largest celebration of independent film, bringing four days of films of all types, including features, documentaries, shorts, music videos, family-friendly films and international films. It’s part of Gasparilla Arts Month, a smorgasbord of music, art and film that draws more than 100,000 arts enthusiasts throughout March.
The Festival’s Opening Night lights up the historic Tampa Theatre, with other events and screenings in Ybor City and the surrounding Tampa Bay area.  

Feel-Good Music: The Gasparilla Music Festival

The concert has been cancelled for 2025.

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and Kiley Gardens Park set the backdrop for the Gasparilla Music Festival, a three-day roundup of a wide variety of local acts as well as nationally recognized headliners on several stages. Cuisine from the region’s top restaurants accompany the tunes. It’s feel-good music in more ways than one; the Festival is hosted by the Gasparilla Music Foundation, a non-profit group that supports music education throughout its Recycled Tunes program.