By Leah Burdick
The pirates invaded Bayshore Boulevard, once again on Sat. January 28, with a city of spectators to cheer them on. Gasparilla has been an annual event in the city of Tampa dating back to 1904, according to The History of Gasparilla. On the last Saturday of January, the city of Tampa fills with people dressed up as pirates to keep this tradition alive.
On this day, spectators can expect large crowds and a parade that is 4.5 miles long. VisitTampaBay states that Gasparilla is the third largest parade in the nation.
Unlike other parades, this one has people prepping days in advance. From finding the right costume, closing down streets, and preparing to walk for miles, a day full of celebration comes with a lot of work.
I personally love that this tradition is still alive and plans to continue for decades to come. It can be overwhelming for those who don’t enjoy crowds, but an event that brings an entire community together is always something to be grateful for.
Having streets crowded with people can cause a lot of issues. Since there is a lot of alcohol that seems to be involved and people piled on top of one another to grab beads, incidents are expected to happen. However, this year’s Gasparilla had some of the lowest incident reports that the Tampa Police Department has faced.
After the weekend was over, the police department sent out their statistics concluding the celebration. The police department sent out a report on their FaceBook page with a message of enjoyment for the team effort by the departments and citizens.
The post states: “3 arrests/ejections, 2 missing persons, 43 requests for medical, 16 traffic crashes/violations, and 3 unattended items that were found to be unthreatening. There were estimated to be 300,000 spectators who attended the parade”
With that many civilians who participated that day, the statistics are great news to hear. I’m glad to hear that with such a big event like this, people have respect to not put others and themselves in harm’s way.
I did notice that this year it didn’t seem as populated as last year. I recall the city saying that last year’s parade estimated 500,000 people, which could be why it didn’t seem like the streets were as crowded. Still, having a big outcome this year shows civilians enjoy this tradition.
If one plans to attend Gasparilla next year, here are a few tips that I have learned. I would recommend sharing your location with your friends in case of being separated. I would also suggest that if a confrontation starts to arise, leave the situation before the police show up. It is also important to note that if you live on campus to have your Spartan ID card on you so that you can be allowed back on campus at the conclusion of the parade.
This year it was warmer than the last, but dress according to the weather because it will be a long day. Last year I dressed as a pirate and brought a heavy sweatshirt to wear during the morning because it was cold. This year I wore a long sleeve pirate outfit to accommodate if it did not get sunny.
Gasparilla is a day of celebrating traditions and is a great experience to be a part of at least once. Next year it will be on Jan. 27, 2024.