A Pirate Invasion

by Adele Woodyard

They got to the kids first. Last Saturday, younguns with bandana-wrapped heads and make-up scarred faces, wielded plastic swords in the annual Gasparilla Parade just for them. They rode on brightly decorated home-made floats or marched along Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard to the music of high school bands.. Rough-looking grownup pirates from the ship, the Jose Gaspar, saw that the beads and plastic gold coins the little ones threw, reached even smaller tykes that lined the route.

Saturday, January 29, is the adults’ turn to party with a Festival in the name of a legendary pirate, that began in 1904. Fierce-looking Blackbeard look-alikes line the sides and yardarms of the ancient vessel, as it sails up Tampa Bay surrounded by assorted pleasure craft. Their aim? To invade the city. Once they’ve swarmed ashore at the Convention Center, and wrested the Keys from Mayor Iorio, the Victory Parade begins. Over 300 units that include more than 90 floats and 14 marching bands, wind past crowds of onlookers reaching for colorful beads that fly through the air.

When the parade ends about three hours later, pirates and party-goers alike head downtown for the Pirate Fest. Live entertainment, that has occupied the stage at Curtis Hixon Park since 10 a.m. before the invasion even starts, lasts until 10 p.m . The evening ends with a huge display of fireworks. Choreographed to music, they fill the sky from waterborne barges.

Except for food and drink, the Gasparilla Festival is FREE to all comers. One caveat: you must present a valid ID to purchase beer, or Captain Morgan run and cola. If you want reserved seats for the parade, tickets cost $28.04 per person. If you wish to be present at the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch, or Lunch (new in 2011) reservations start at $58.88 adult, $49.53 ages 3-12. Number of tickets are limited and on sale NOW. http://www.gasparillapiratefest.com

Early-rising Pinellas County residents and visitors can join the flotilla escorting the Jose Gaspar pirate ship on a Victorian-themed paddlewheel , the Starlite Princess Riverboat… The all-day 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. cruise starts with a Continental breakfast and includes sit-down lunch and dinner service, plus a reserved seat for the Gasparilla parade. There’s live entertainment during dinner and a full liquor cash bar. The boat departs the Vinoy Basin, St. Petersburg. $195 per person,. 727-462-2628; 800-444-4814. http://www.starlitediningcruises.com

The Gasparilla Festival is a major celebration that has spawned three months of related and non-related festivities, such as the Krewe of Sant ‘Yago’s Illuminated Night Parade. in Ybor City. The Florida State Fair runs from February 10-21, and discount tickets are available at Sweetbay Supermarkets and online now until February 9, to save on admission, armbands, and rides. 813-621-7821, 800-345-3247; http://www.floridastatefair.com

Pirates Invade Tampa

 by Adele Woodyard

 Flags unfurled and cannons booming, the old 3-masted ship makes it’s way up Hillsborough Bay. Hundreds of swashbuckling pirates in colorful garb crowd the decks, hang from  the yardarms, until they land. With shouts of “avast ye mateys” and guttural “aaar, aaars” they swarm ashore, ready to capture fair maidens and raze the city.

End of January,  pirates will once again invade Tampa in its annual celebration called  Gasparilla, after Jose Gaspar, a legendary pirate who roamed Florida’s west coast in the late 18^th century. Begun in May of 1904, Ye Mystic Krewe rode in on horseback, until they took to the water in 1911. Eventually changed to winter, Gasparilla is now the opening salvo to three months of assorted festivities.

Saturday, Jan. 23: from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Children’s Gasparilla Extravaganza sets a non-alcoholic stage for the big day. Pint-sized kids, 5 and under, ride or walk their decorated wheels along Bayshore Boulevard in a “Preschooler Stroll” at 2 p.m. From 3-6 p.m, kids age 6 and up add bands, floats and longer walks to the Children’s Group Parade. In between the two, vintage aircraft and the U.S. Special Operations Command Jump Team take to the skies. The day closes with McDonald’s “Piratechnic” Extravaganza display over the bay, that recreates the sea battle between Tampa and the pirates. FREE. Reserved seating $16, including tax.

Saturday, Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thousands line Bayshore Boulevard to watch the Jose Gaspar ship, with its flotilla of private boats, attack and capture the city. Once Tampa falls, countless pirate krewes on brightly decorated floats or on foot, join bands, town officials in cars, and groups on horseback to celebrate the victory. The watching crowd hold out their hands to grab tossed strings of plastic beads as the  2 1/2 to 3 hour parade winds its way from Bayshore to downtown. From then on it’s party time with live entertainment, food and drink at the Gasparilla Pirate Fest Street Festival in venues scattered around downtown Tampa. Music, parade FREE. Reserved seating at parade: $30, tax included.  

For those who wish to view the Pirate Invasion close up, there is an Invasion Brunch at the Tampa Convention Center from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. $63 adult, $53 child; combo ticket with reserved seating parade, $88 and $78. All tickets can be purchased  online, www.GasparillaExtravaganza.org  “Tickets & Treasures” or call 813-251-8844.

Miami: Sunday, Jan. 31: Prefer football to pirates? The  Pro Bowl will take place in Dolphin Stadium, 7:30 p.m. This is the first time in 30 years, NFL’s All-Star Game has appeared outside Hawaii, and will be back in the islands in 2011. Tickets: $50 to $195. Call 800-745-3000 for information.