Gasparilla is anything but boring. A cacophony of parade floats, beads being thrown in the air and crowds meandering down Bayshore Boulevard make for an interesting time. This is everyone’s one-year opportunity to show off their most unique pirate attire and not feel like a freak.
The day before Gasparilla, the University of Tampa held Pirate Fest outside Stadium Center. At one of the tables some students decorated their own white T-shirts with pirate slogans and designs.
Some people cut the shirts up to make them seem more tattered. Other people bought official Gasparilla T-shirts from Walmart. A number of sorority and fraternity members also made group T-shirts to show their support.
Many girls wore bandannas in their hair along with hoop earrings and brown boots––a cute yet classy pirate ensemble. Let’s not forget about the smoky eye. Crop tops donned with skulls also seemed to be quite popular at Gasparilla.
The pirate look isn’t the only look that matters at Gasparilla. It can also be translated into a nautical or Native American theme.
When walking around the parade, a sea of girls wore different types of high-waisted shorts and sailor tops while others dressed up in a more boho style. It can be interpreted in many different ways.
Besides these outfits, some people really got into the pirate theme. There were a few people in full pirate costumes. It was impossible to walk by Jack Sparrow without running into him yet again two minutes later. One guy even had on a bathrobe and a sailor hat. Ay, ay captain?
Although there seems like there should be some sort of correlation between people’s costume and age, there is not, apparently.
The majority of people that went all out were college-aged or older. Several middle aged women were walking around in full pirate gear, using the feathered hats as distractions to steal more beads. Sure, it’s not Halloween, but Gasparilla is a unique festivity by itself. Who doesn’t want to dress up and let loose their inner pirate?
Alexandra Townsend can be reached at staddancer@gmail.com.
In scandinavia people think jews have a very strange face, especially the nose is very bad-looking,kinda scythe-like they say, . They call it ” Ful nasa”. the word “ful” is pronounced like the english word “fuel”. i kind of feel sorry for them, but maybe its the testosterone.. i´ve heard it increases the tissues inside the nose, especially bone mass.
It´s intresting to note that the hebrew work “nasa” can mean both “to marry” and “to lift” and “to desire” among many other verbs..