Pirates to invade Tampa

After the Super Bowl, Tampa presents its annual pirate fest called Gasparilla. It is an annual event featuring pirates, parades, boats and other madness and is Tampa’s version of the Mardi Gras. Gasparilla gets its name a legendary pirate Jose Gaspar who supposedly terrorized the coastal waters of West Florida during the late 18th and early 19th Century.

This year the event kicks off on Saturday, February 7th when the full-sized pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla, appears in Tampa Bay and accompanied by a flotilla of pleasure craft, sails up the Seddon Channel to invade Tampa with lots of cannon fire and pirate fanfare.

[Video](http://gasparillapiratefest.com/video.shtml" target="_blank)

Same hing happens every year in Fort Walton Beach, FL to honor the Pirate Billy Bowlegs…