Coordinates | 52°16′19″N19°6′52″N |
---|---|
Holiday name | Gasparilla |
Type | Secular |
Official name | Gasparilla |
Observedby | Residents of Tampa, Florida and the Florida gulf coast |
Begins | late January |
Ends | early February |
Date | |
Month | |
Relatedto | }} |
Krewe memberships are highly sought after in many social circles in Tampa, and many celebrate ethnic and cultural themes. The Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the organization which founded and sponsors the parade, is the oldest krewe in Tampa, and among its most prestigious. Members of the many krewes that now participate spend a great deal of money on beads and floats.
A week before the "invasion" and the main parade, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla sponsors a family-oriented children's parade and "Piratechnic Extravaganza," with fireworks launched over Tampa Bay. 2006's fireworks display included an impressive airborne element, where an imaginary sea battle took place between a pirate ship in the harbor and a plane which shot off fireworks while doing acrobatic maneuvers.
A few weeks after the invasion, there is a more adult-oriented Sant'Yago Knight Parade (also known as the Gasparilla Knight Parade) in Ybor City, held in the evening and running into the early morning. Krewes have social events and parties throughout the year for members and hold philanthropic events for favored causes.
The festival has been known to have numerous college students from nearby Eckerd College, University of South Florida, University of Tampa, and Florida Gulf Coast University, lured for its notorious drinking and Mardi Gras style of partying.
Historically, Gasparilla was held on the second Monday of February until 1988, when it was moved to a Saturday festival in February. This change allowed more local communities to take part in the celebration. In 2001, the event was moved to the last Saturday of January to coincide with Super Bowl XXXV weekend, because Tampa's Raymond James Stadium was hosting the game that year. Since 2005, the event has been held on the first Saturday of February.
In 1992, the parade added it's first all women's krewe, Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O'Malley named for the famous pirate queen, Grace O'Malley of Ireland.
In 2004 the event celebrated its 100th anniversary. The first ever Gasparilla Pageant, crowning queens and kings of all ages to represent the celebration was produced by local ad girl, Stephanie Sims and Aim Direct Media in 2007. This event crosses over the various Krewes.
Beginning in January 2008, an old tradition which ended in 1964 was revived. "The Gasparilla March Triumphant: The Return to the Sea" gives the event a sense of closure. During this ceremony, the Krewe's pirates return the key to the mayor and board the Jose Gasparilla to return to sea. This tradition was revived as a way to officially end Gasparilla season.
The 2010 Gasparilla celebrations marked a record 400 arrests and misdemeanors related to alcohol and loitering.
Category:Festivals in Tampa, Florida
Category:Parades in the United StatesThis text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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