The family version of the Gasparilla pirate invasion gives kids their own parade on Saturday, along with an air show, bike rodeo and fireworks in the chilly weather. Back in 1904, Tampa city leaders came up with a “pirate invasion” on horseback during the city’s May Day festival and it later evolved into its own pirate-themed parade and festival based on the story of the mythical pirate Jose .
How do you tell the story of a party that's lasted 120 years? That's what they're doing at the Henry B. Plant Museum at The University of Tampa – telling the story behind the city's very own Gasparilla.
Back in 1904, city leaders in Tampa envisioned a signature event to lure visitors, using the campy fun of pirate costumes and the tale of a mythical pirate named Jose Gaspar who invades the city along with a parade of buccaneers. More than a century later, more than 300,000 people are expected to line Bayshore Boulevard on Saturday, Jan. 27, for this year’s Gasparilla, a 120-unit parade of .