Pirates are temporarily taking over downtown Tampa to celebrate Gasparilla, an annual pirate-themed festival. Known as the city's "signature event," Gasparilla was named after famed Florida pirate ...

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor handed over the key to the city to Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla during the 2025 Gasparilla Pirate invasion. The invasion is a Tampa tradition stretching back to the early ...

Sometimes, they even take the Tampa mayor hostage to ransom for the key to the city. The origins of Gasparilla, both invasion and parade, are owed to what Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla call the ...

Every year, an estimated 300,000 participants come to Tampa for Gasparilla Pirate Festival, a mock attack by a band of pirates called Ye Mystic Krewe. The pirates’ plot is simple: storm the ...

TAMPA, Fla. — All pirates support a clean and healthy marine environment. It is an important part of navigating their watery world and enjoying the bounty of the sea. One Gasparilla Krewe ...

Whether by land or by sea, thousands of people crowded Tampa’s waterfront along Bayshore Boulevard on Saturday for the annual Gasparilla Parade of Pirates. It started with the usual invasion at ...

TAMPA, Fla. — Hoist the colours! Another successful Gasparilla parade is in the books as droves of pirates made their descent on Tampa Bay Saturday afternoon, bringing cannon blasts and beads to ...

Our live updates for Gasparilla 2025 have concluded. Read more about the festivities here. TAMPA — Shiver me timbers: It was an especially cold morning for those pesky pirates invading Tampa ...