Gasparilla Pirate Fest returns to Tampa this Saturday, January 28, 2023. The wild event features pirates, parades, great food, and a full takeover of the city of Tampa. To celebrate their capture of the City of Tampa, the Captain and his Krewe share their wealth – glittering beads, treasures and doubloons – with a lively, enthusiastic crowd all along the 4.5 -mile parade route on January 28 from 2-6pm.
The Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates will boast over 140 units – including more than 103 elaborate floats, 5 marching bands, over 50 distinct Krewes and, of course, those infamous YMKG pirates!
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The parade begins at Bay to Bay and Bayshore Blvd. It continues along Bayshore Blvd. to Brorein St., turns east on Brorein St., then north on Ashley Dr.. The parade ends at Cass St. & Ashley Dr. This event is free to the public. Reserved bleacher seating is available for the Parade of the Pirates. Keep up with the latest Gasparilla Pirate Fest news by visiting its website and purchase tickets ahead of the event.
Expanded Pirate Fest brings two stages for music to waterfront parks
In addition to the parade, Gasparilla will include an expanded Pirate Fest which will feature 2 stages along the Riverwalk in downtown Tampa, presented by Bud Light Seltzer. Pirate Fest will feature live entertainment before and after the parade in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park (Ashley and Twiggs), and MacDill Park (Ashley and Whiting). The entertainment lineup will be announced soon. Entertainment will begin at 9am and run through 8pm between the Curtis Hixon Park and MacDill Park stages.
City Officials will also continue their campaign for a Bead Free Bay. Remember that throwing beads or any other items in the water is prohibited according to Florida Statute 403.413. Help us protect our marine ecosystems by keeping beads around your neck, and OUT of the waterways.
Beads and other non-biodegradable items are incredibly harmful to the environment and pose serious threats to marine wildlife. They take a thousand years to break down into smaller pieces called microplastics, which never decompose. These microplastics remain persistent in the natural ecosystems for hundreds of years or longer.
Keep Tampa Bay beautiful hosts post parade cleanup
Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful and the City of Tampa need your help to keep our paradise litter free. Join both organizations the day after the main Gasparilla festivities to help remove litter and debris from the parade route.
They will be stationed at four different locations – Fred Ball Park, Bern’s Park, Kate Jackson Park and Bank of America. Volunteers must wear closed toed shoes to participate! You can sing up to participate online.
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