TAMPA, Fla. — Ahoy mateys! Are ye ready for the 103rd invasion of the pirates? Well, get ready Tampa Bay, as the krewes have set sail and will be taking the key to the city on Saturday, January 25.
Argh…but first, here is everything you need to know for Gasparilla 2020 – the United States' third-largest parade.
Rooftop Gasparilla Pre Party // Fri., Jan. 24 // 7-10 p.m. // Mole y Abuela, 1202 North Franklin St. // Tickets, $0 for NTC members + $20 for non-members
Gasparilla Takeover Silent Party // Fri., Jan. 24 // 9 p.m.-1 a.m. // American Social, 601 South Harbour Island Blvd. #107 // Tickets, $10
Alpharilla // Sat., Jan. 25 // 9 a.m.-5 p.m. // Hooch and Hive, 1001 West Cass St. // Tickets, $20-100
Gasparilla Extravaganza 11th Annual // Sat., Jan. 25 // 10 a.m.-4 p.m. // The Westin Tampa Waterside, 725 South Harbour Island Blvd. // Tickets, $25-10,000
3rd Annual Gasparilla Barrr Crawl // Sat., Jan. 25 // 10 a.m.-3 p.m. // Tampa // Tickets, $30-65
Gasparilla Invasion Brunch Party // Sat., Jan. 25 // 10 a.m.-4 p.m. // American Social, 601 South Harbour Island Blvd. #107 // Tickets, $125-165
🏴☠️Gasparilla Parade of Pirates
Make way!! At last, ye great invasion is here. Beginning at 11:30 a.m. the Jose Gasparilla will set sail at the south end of Hillsborough Bay as it heads north to Seddon Channel and docks at the Tampa Convention Center at 1 p.m. Pick your spot to watch (some spots are free, some can be reserved by ticket purchase). Pro-tip: Parking will be tricky for there will be many street closures, so making a plan in advance is best -- taking a Lyft, Uber or rideshare is strongly suggested.
Once ashore, the krewes will celebrate their takeover from 2-5:30 p.m. with the four-mile-long Parade of Pirates, which will begin at Bay to Bay Boulevard and Bayshore Boulevard – as it continues along Bayshore Boulevard to Brorein Street., turning east on Brorein Street., then north on Ashley Drive. The parade will end at Cass Street + Ashley Drive. Full map here.
Don’t forget that an expansion of the parade will continue with the Pirate Fest presented by Bud Light Seltzer with stages along the Riverwalk in downtown Tampa. Live entertainment will be popping pre-and-post-parade in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park and MacDill Park.
To keep from walking the plank, be sure to view this list of banned items to avoid becoming a scallywag and being thrown overboard (or end up in jail). And for those wondering, yes, Port-o-lets will be located throughout the event site, parade route on both sides of the street, near all reserved seating sections and downtown at the pirate street fest.
🏴☠️Post Parade
Sant’ Yago Knight Parade // Sat., Feb. 8 // 4-11 p.m. // Ybor City // Free
Brunch on Wheels // Sun., Feb. 9 // 1-3 p.m. // Westshore Plaza // Tickets, $15-29
Gasparilla Distance Classic // Feb. 22-23 // Tampa // Register, $40-265
Gasparilla Festival of the Arts // Feb. 29-March 1 // Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park // Free
Gasparilla Music Festival // March 7-8 // Downtown Tampa // Tickets, $40-200
Gasparilla Film Festival // March 17-22 // Various locations + times // Tickets
🏴Stay in the Know
Ahoy!! Share all the Gasparilla fun by following them on Facebook, Instagram + Twitter, and use #GasparillaTampa in your photos, posts + tweets!
Get you lingo in check with this savy list of pirate vocab so you and your krewe will be set to go "on account."
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