Gasparilla Pirate Festival

Gasparilla
Gasparilla Pirate Festival
Official name	Gasparilla
Observed by	Residents of Tampa, Florida and the Florida gulf coast
Begins	late January
Ends	early February

Downtown Tampa and the convention center during Gasparilla

An example of a typical parade float between events

The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is an annual celebration held in the city of Tampa, Florida. Held each year in late January or early February and hosted by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla and the City of Tampa, it celebrates the apocryphal legend of José Gaspar (Gasparilla), a mythical Spanish pirate captain who supposedly operated in Southwest Florida.

Description

The theme of Gasparilla is an "invasion" by Jose Gaspar and his crew, which begins when the "Krewe" (made up of members of Ye Mystik Krewe of Gasparilla) arrives on a 165' long pirate ship, the Jose Gaspar, in Tampa Bay and land near downtown Tampa. The mayor of Tampa then hands over the key of the city to the pirate captain and a parade ensues down Bayshore Boulevard, one of Tampa's major streets.

The krewes throw beads, coins and other items while shooting blank pistols from floats during the parade. The parade is broadcast every year on WFLA-TV, and has been since 1955; station WTVT-TV also covered the parade from 1955 to 1980. The average attendance for the event is over 300,000 people. According to the event's official website, 2003's Gasparilla parade effected an economic impact of nearly 23 million dollars to Tampa.

Many "Krewes" of local citizens participate in the parade. Many of these organizations celebrate ethnic and cultural themes. Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the organization which founded and sponsors the parade, is the oldest krewe. Members of the many krewes that now participate spend a great deal of money on beads and floats. Area high schools and universities provide marching bands, majorettes, and drill teams as part of the festivities, which mimic the Mardi Gras parades of New Orleans (also held in February). These Krewes begin the Gasparilla season with private events and parties that are closed to the public as early as the latter part of December. Most Krewes hold social events and parties throughout the year for members and raise money for favored causes.

Two smaller pirate-related parades are held in the weeks before and after the main Gasparilla Parade of Pirates. The Gasparilla Children's Parade, a more family-friendly event, is generally held the Saturday prior to the main parade in downtown Tampa. The Sant'Yago Illuminated Knight Parade (sometimes referred to as the Gasparilla Night Parade), is generally held a Saturday or two after the main parade in Ybor City.

Beginning in 2012 there is a daylong Gasparilla Music Festival located in downtown Tampa featuring numerous acts on various stages.

History

Gasparilla was first held in May 1904, after Tampa Tribune society editor Miss Louise Frances Dodge and Tampa's director of customs George Hardee combined the legend of a local pirate and elements of a New Orleans Mardi Gras to give Tampa's relatively sedate May Day celebration a new theme. The first "invasion" was via horseback, with the first sea-based invasion coming in 1911.

As the festival grew, a US Navy ship would be attacked by small boats throwing Cuban bread and black bean soup. The Navy would respond with fire hoses but would succumb to the Ybor City Navy, and then surrender to the Alcalde of Ybor City. The sailors would be treated to an evening on the town. This was discontinued after the September 11, 2001 attacks. However, the invasion itself continues as "Capt. Jose Gaspar" and his crew of "Pirates" "attack" Tampa, surrounded by hundreds of other boaters as they sail the Gasparilla Ship through Tampa Bay, land in Downtown Tampa and "take over the city."

Historically, Gasparilla was held on the second Monday of February until 1988, when it was moved to a Saturday festival. This change allowed more local communities to take part in the celebration. Since 2005, the event has been held on the first Saturday of February.

Much of the festivities, both during the main parade and at other venues beforehand, center around "Krewes", which are primarily private clubs of local citizens who organize both social events and fund raising for various charities and causes. Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla was the first, and was primarily charged with organizing the parade and playing the part of Gaspar's pirates from its inception. Its membership was made up of civic leaders and businessmen from Tampa and was exclusively white and male. This exclusivity caused growing resentment among local African-Americans and other groups and became a heated controversy in 1990/91, when the Krewe and the city planned to move Gasparilla up a few weeks to coincide with Super Bowl XXV, to be played at Tampa Stadium. The city and the National Football League put pressure on the Krewe of Gasparilla to admit black members before the next event, but the organization refused and cancelled Gasparilla instead

The city of Tampa hastily put together a replacement parade called "Bamboleo", which was billed as a "multicultural festival" and did not include pirates. A rainy day helped to dampen the crowds, and the replacement was considered a "flop". Later in 1991, the Krewe of Gasparilla agreed to accept black members and allow other krewes to participate in the parade, and Gasparilla returned for 1992 (The Krewe of Venus had joined the festivities in 1966 and the Krewe of Sant'Yago in 1973, but they were not the primary organizers of the event.)

Since then, many krewes have been established that include all facets of Tampa's diverse population. In 2001, Tampa again hosted a Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXXV), and the city again moved the parade to coincide with the game. This time, there was no controversy, as an integrated Krewe of Gasparilla was joined by over 30 other krewes for the parade, which drew a record crowd estimated at 750,000. In 2012, 56 krewes participated in the main parade.

Beginning in January 2008, an old tradition which ended in 1964 was revived. "The Return to the Sea" gives the event a sense of closure. During this ceremony, the Krewe's pirates return the key to the mayor and board the Jose Gasparilla to return to sea. This tradition was revived as a way to officially end Gasparilla season.

Images

• 

  Hundreds of boats watching the invasion

• 

  Downtown Tampa during Gasparilla

Bibliography

• Ans, Andre-Marcel d' (1980). "The Legend of Gasparilla: Myth and History on Florida's West Coast". Tampa Bay History.

External links

• Gasparilla Pirate Festival - Official Site
• Countdown - Countdown to the Launch of the José Gasparilla