Despite the chilly day, Tampa’s century-old pirate-palooza returned with a bang on Saturday during the Gasparilla Festival.
![Pirates Invade Tampa During Gasparilla Festival](https://thetraveladdict.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/unnamed-22-1024x640.jpg)
The Gasparilla parade has been a tradition in Tampa since 1904. The theme and focal point of Gasparilla is a friendly “invasion” by mythical pirate Jose Gasper and his crew, who are portrayed by members of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla (YMKG).
![Pirates Invade Tampa During Gasparilla Festival](https://thetraveladdict.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/unnamed-23-1024x640.jpg)
To date, it’s considered to be the nation’s third-largest parade behind Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, New York.
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Two-time WWE Hall of Famer and Tampa resident Ric Flair served as the grand marshal of the 2023 Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest over the weekend riding in a float and greeting fans.
![Pirates Invade Tampa During Gasparilla Festival](https://thetraveladdict.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/unnamed-20-1024x640.jpg)
More than 100 plus floats, krewes and groups of dancers paraded down Bayshore Boulevard, flinging beads at the 300,000 or so swashbuckling spectators.
![Pirates Invade Tampa During Gasparilla Festival](https://thetraveladdict.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/unnamed-21-1024x640.jpg)