Gasparilla 2026: Your guide to Tampa's pirate fest
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The pirates are coming. Photo: Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images
Dig out your woolen stockings and plunder your liquor cabinets: Gasparilla is upon us.
Why it matters: Tampa's take on a Mardi Gras-style street festival is expected to draw thousands of pirate-dressed revelers and shut down several roads on Saturday.
- It's also slated to be a chilly day. We weren't kidding about those stockings.
Here's what to know:
Schedule
First up, the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch at the Tampa Convention Center offers a venue to watch the festivities unfold starting at 10:30am. Buy tickets here.
The invasion, in which THE Jose Gasparilla sails into the convention center basin with Ye Mystic Krewe and a flotilla of boats, goes from 11:30am-1pm.
The Parade of Pirates will kick off at 2pm and head 4.5 miles along Bayshore Boulevard and into downtown Tampa.
Catch live music from 10am-8pm, with breaks for the parade, at MacDill and Curtis Hixon parks.
- Find the lineups and schedule of musicians here.
Road closures
The big one is Bayshore Boulevard from Gandy Boulevard to downtown, starting Friday night.
Pro tip: If you're not attending the festivities, maybe just don't leave your house?
Parking
Garages cost $20-30 for the day, depending on where you want to park. Find a list with hours here.
- If you want to give street parking a shot, be sure to consult the city's interactive map showing where that is and isn't allowed, and Godspeed.
Transit options: The TECO Line Streetcar and a HART bus shuttle, both free, will be taking revelers between Ybor City and downtown.
- Streetcar service runs from 8:30am-2:30am Sunday, while bus service is from 9:30am-7pm.
Weather
It's going to be cold — like highs-only-reaching-the-50s cold — and there's a 20% chance of rain, per the National Weather Service as of Monday night.
- Gasparilla is rain or shine.
Alcohol
Pirates of age can openly drink in the designated "wet zone," generally along Bayshore and in Curtis Hixon Park.
- Click here for a map of the zone and alcohol vendor locations.
Bead recycling
Cool pirates don't litter. Take those beads to the following locations to be cleaned, repackaged and sold at future city events:
- Copeland Park Community Center
- Kate Jackson Community Center
- Loretta Ingraham Recreation Complex
- MacDonald Training Center
Or: Drop off your beads from Jan. 24-Feb. 22 at The Florida Aquarium to get 50% off up to four general admission tickets.