TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For the 120th year, hundreds of swashbucklers will invade Tampa for the annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest.
Thousands of revelers will pack Bayshore Boulevard to see the Krewes, marching bands and dozens of colorful, larger-than-life floats.
This year’s pirate invasion will begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday. A vibrant flotilla will emerge at the south end of Hillsborough Bay and travel toward Seddon Channel before docking at the Tampa Convention Center around 1 p.m. Then the mayor will surrender the key to the city.
The Captain and his Krewe will then celebrate their capture of the city with a 4.5-mile parade along Bayshore, showering the streets with beads and treasures. The parade will begin at 2 p.m. at Bay to Bay and Bayshore and end at Cass Street and Ashley Drive.
If you don’t want to miss all the action, you can still watch the parade and invasion live on WFLA Now.
J.B. Biunno will provide live coverage of the pirate invasion and parade on WFLA Now with reporter Nicole Rogers, starting at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
The Parade of Pirates will be broadcast on News Channel 8 at 2:30 p.m. Anchors Keith Cate and Jennifer Leigh will host the live broadcast. Meteorologist Leigh Spann will join them from the parade route.
You’ll be able to watch both events on WFLA.com and WFLA’s Facebook page Saturday. You can also follow along on WFLA’s live blog, which will be posted the day of the event.
You can find more Gasparilla coverage on wfla.com/gasparilla.
