TAMPA (WFLA) – About 300,000 pirates invaded Bayshore Boulevard and downtown Tampa for the Gasparilla Invasion and Parade on Saturday.
The Jose Gaspar pirate ship arrived Saturday afternoon in Hillsborough Bay and made its way to the Seddon Channel between Davis Islands and Harbor Islands. The ship docked at the Tampa Convention Center, where Tampa Mayor Jane Castor surrendered the key to the City of Tampa into the hands of the Captain of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.
The Captain and his Krewe shared their wealth of beads and other treasures with the crowd along the 4.5-mile parade route along Bayshore Boulevard and Downtown Tampa. The parade included more than 100 floats, 5 marching bands of more than 50 Krewes.
We hope you batten downed the hatches and didn’t miss any of the action. If so, don’t worry – we have you covered! Download our WFLA app to rewatch the festivities.
The Gasparilla parade is the third-largest in the country.
Remember this year to keep the beads out of the bay. Join the #BeadFreeBay movement to create sustainable city traditions and protect our waterfront.
We hope you all had a fun and safe Gasparilla celebration.
MORE GASPARILLA INFORMATION:
- Early bird tickets for 2022 Gasparilla festivities go on sale Friday
- It’s A Runner’s Life: Tampa woman plans to run all 4 Gasparilla races
- Running around town and learning its history with Go Running Florida
- Leader of the pack: Cross-country team runs with shelter dogs and everyone wins
- Gasparilla 2021 canceled due to coronavirus concerns
