It’s time to pull out your beads and eyepatches because the Gasparilla Invasion of Tampa Bay has officially begun.
On Saturday, this annual reenactment of Tampa’s historic invasion of the Gasparilla Flotilla is led by Jose Gasparilla and the swashbuckling YMKG pirates. They start by setting sail from the south of Hillsborough Bay before docking at the Tampa Convention Center, where they’ll command Mayor Jane Castor to surrender the key to the city to the Captain of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.
WFTS After snagging the key to the city, the Krewe will celebrate their victory in a Parade of Pirates down Bayshore Boulevard.
So why does the City of Tampa celebrate Gasparilla? This annual tradition first kicked off in 1904 when Tampa Tribune Society Editor Mary Louise Dodge and George Hardee collaborated on the idea, drawing inspiration from the legend of one Spanish pirate who allegedly invaded the Florida coast hundreds of years ago.
Jose Gaspar, or Gasparilla, attended the Spanish Naval Academy and became an officer. But, he joined the Navy during a rough time in Spanish history, which led him to his pirating ways.