GASPARILLA PIRATE FESTIVA
This is the annual celebration held in the city of Tampa, Fl. It celebrates the apocryphal legend of Jose Gaspar, supposedly a Spanish pirate captain who operated in southwest Florida. The theme is an "invasion" by Gasparilla and his men which begins when they arrive on a 165' long pirate ship, the Jose Gaspar, in Tampa Bay and land near downtown Tampa. The mayor of Tampa (Pam Iorio) then lends the key of the city to the pirate captain and a parade ensues down Bayshore Blvd.. The "krewes" throw beads, coins and other items while shooting blank pistols from floats during the parade. The average attendance for the event is over 400,000 people.
