The Legend of Jose Gaspar

“What is Gasparilla?”

a tourist or Tampa newbie might ask. If you’re a local, you know the Gasparilla Pirate Festival is one of the biggest annual celebrations in the Tampa Bay Area… and one of my favorite parts of living in this awesome city!

Gasparilla originates from the legend of pirate Jose Gaspar, “the last of the Buccaneers” (It’s a Bucs life!).  Jose Gaspar was a lieutenant in the Royal Spanish Navy who turned to plundering and piracy. Legend has it that Gaspar and his crew of pirates seized and robbed merchant ships off the Gulf Coast until 1821. By some accounts, he plundered over 400 ships.  His own diary boasts of 36 victories by 1795 alone.

The theme and focal point of Tampa’s Gasparilla is an “invasion” by Jose Gaspar and his crew. On the day of the Gasparilla parade, members of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla (YMKG) and hundreds of smaller boats sail across Tampa Bay. The mayor of Tampa then hands over the key of the city to the pirate captain and a “victory parade” ensues down Bayshore Boulevard, a waterfront road in South Tampa.

During the parade, members of YMKG and dozens of other krewes throw beads, coins, and other souvenir trinkets to the throngs along the sidewalk.

What does Gasparilla mean to you?

Boats, pirates, parades, merriment and more… It means January is here, and Tampa’s renowned festival celebration is here! Cheers!

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