Those pesky pirates are invading Tampa again. For more than 100 years, Tampa city leaders have held the signature Gasparilla event to draw visitors with a day of pirates and a parade of buccaneers. It borrows heavily from Mardi Gras,

Volunteers worked for hours on Sunday to clean up trash on the ground and in the bay following Saturday’s Gasparilla Pirate Fest.

Arr! Gasparilla in Tampa is Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. Attendees can witness the "pirate invasion" as Jose Gasparilla ship sets sail at Hillsborough Bay

Tampa’s signature pirate event got off to a chilly start, but things warmed up as the day and parties progressed.

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 José Gaspar from the 18th century, who went by Gasparilla.

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 the Tampa Convention Center,