Hundreds of Pirates invade streets in spectacular Tampa festival

Hundreds of pirates commandeered the streets of Tampa, Florida on Sunday 28 January as part of the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival.

A ship carrying ‘Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla’ kicks off the party in the city’s dock before coming ashore to join the parade.

Thousands of spectators dressed in their finest pirate gear, as they do each year, and lined Tampa’s streets to watch floats pass by them downtown.

A fixture nearly every year since 1904, the Gasparilla Pirate Fest is named for the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar. The ‘Parade of Pirates’ portrays a friendly invasion led by Gaspar, a figure deeply rooted in Florida folklore.