Tampa’s famous Gasparilla parade is once again upon us; and that means lots of great food, drinks, lively parades and other fun events. While getting your best buccaneer attire together and making plans with friends for the day, do you know who and what you are celebrating? We thought we would take some time to give you a quick who, what where of the Gasparilla parade:
Who: Who is Gasparilla? Legendary pirate Jose Gaspar is widely considered “the last of the buccaneers” and his namesake and pirate lifestyle serve as the inspiration for our famous parade. An aristocrat-turned-pirate, Gasparilla captured and burned as many as thirty six ships during his twelve year run as a pirate. And where was he running to? The Florida straits, of course. Gasparilla met his fate on his final capture (isn’t that always the case?) when the pirate and his crew attempted to capture a disguised U.S. Navy warship. Legend has it that Gasparilla wrapped himself in chains and threw himself overboard when faced with the inevitable capture by the Navy. A death that only made his legend stronger.
What: On this death, legend has it that Gasparilla left a large fortune of buried treasure somewhere along the coast of Florida. And so the celebration began. In 1904, Gasparilla became the patron of the celebration we all look forward to enjoying every year. The community has been so supportive of the celebration over the years that in 1954, the Gasparilla commission built the world’s only modern, fully-rigged pirate ship, the Jose Gaspar. Parade attendees can see the ship among many other homages to the legendary Gasparilla throughout the day. The entire day is designed to mimic a typical Gasparilla capture—from the invasion on the city of Tampa to the celebrations that ensue after. On Saturday morning, the now famous Jose Gaspar ship sails among hundreds of other boats to Downtown Tampa to capture the city for the weekend. The mayor hands over the key and the partying begins.
Where: Originally, Gasparilla was celebrated on the second Monday in February every year but was moved to the last Saturday in January in order to enable more people to attend the celebration. Set for Saturday, January 26th of this year, the Gasparilla parade will include an invasion brunch, a parade of pirates along Bayshore Boulevard (which includes over ninety floats and fourteen marching bands) and a street festival in Downtown Tampa.
For specific times and other locations, click here. We will also be writing a series of blog posts on Gasparilla so stay tuned throughout the next couple weeks!
With all the good times to be had at the Gasparilla parade comes with a warning: Be careful when it comes to alcohol. In past years, police have arrested between 250 -400 people on alcohol-related charges, and those numbers do not include later DUI’s. Open container laws, underage drinking, driving under the influence and boating under the influence—the Tampa police are on the lookout for any illegal activity and will not hesitate to arrest you.
At Finebloom &Haenel P.A., we know you just want to have some fun during the celebration. If you have been arrested for any drinking or criminal activity, give our law firm a call for a free consultation on your case. We are available day and night.
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