Those pesky pirates are invading Tampa again. For more than 100 years, Tampa city leaders have held the signature Gasparilla event to draw visitors with a day of pirates and a parade of buccaneers. It borrows heavily from Mardi Gras,

Pirates are temporarily taking over downtown Tampa to celebrate Gasparilla, an annual pirate-themed festival. Known as the city's "signature event," Gasparilla was named after famed Florida pirate José Gaspar from the 18th century, who went by Gasparilla.

Every year, an estimated 300,000 participants come to Tampa for Gasparilla Pirate Festival, a mock attack by a band of pirates called Ye Mystic Krewe. The pirates’ plot is simple: storm the shores, take the key to the city and parade down Bayshore Boulevard.

Whether by land or by sea, thousands of people crowded Tampa’s waterfront along Bayshore Boulevard on Saturday for the annual Gasparilla Parade of Pirates. It started with the usual invasion at the Tampa Convention Center,

Arr! Gasparilla in Tampa is Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. Attendees can witness the "pirate invasion" as Jose Gasparilla ship sets sail at Hillsborough Bay