While thousands of pirate loving fans are expected to join in this year’s weekend festivities, a good-sized portion of those Gasparilla freebooters will be traveling from Central Florida.
Thousands of UCF students are packing their bags and road tripping to Tampa for Gasparilla’s 110th annual parade. UCF students will get to experience the full front extravaganza on Bayshore Boulevard. From the Buccaneers filling the air with cannon fire to thousands of fans parading the streets with flying beads, Gasparilla is sure to not disappoint.
Gasparilla is known as one of Tampa’s biggest annual parties on the Bay and this year’s ‘Gaspy’ will include thousands of UCF students ready to party with the pirates.
The parade will be held this Saturday, January 25 and the fun starts early. The parade begins with a massive float show that will go from bay to bay.
The annual float show includes world renowned pirate ship, the Jose Gasparille, celebrated by the legend Jose Gaspar — a mythical Spanish pirate captain that supposedly operated in southwest Florida. The Jose Gasparille, accompanied by hundreds of its privateers on board, will make its way towards the Tampa Convention Center where the Mayor of Tampa will then hand over control of the city and leave the fate of the Bay in the hands of the pirates.
The parade begins around 11:30 a.m. and will last until nightfall. Along with the Jose Gasparille, over 130 more units will be participating along side them. Marching bands, Krewes, and about 90 more floats will lead the 6.0 mile shore walk to downtown Tampa where the street festivities will be turned into one giant block party. Once downtown, there will be live music starting at 5 p.m., tons of food, and nonstop celebrating.
People all over the state will be flooding Tampa in boots, bandanas and hooks, so be prepared to sink with the ships and get your beads on!
