Related video: Pirates parade down Bayshore Boulevard during the 2023 Gasparilla celebration
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay native and comedian Bert Kreischer will be the Grand Marshal for the 2024 Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest on Jan. 27, the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla announced Tuesday.
Kreischer, called the “number one partier in the Nation” by the Rolling Stone in 1997, is a top-grossing stand-up comedian and known for performing his stand-up shirtless. He starred in the 2023 film “The Machine,” based on his stand-up routine of the same name.
“There’s no better person who embodies the pirate culture and a love of Tampa than the one and only Bert Kreischer. What a delight to have Bert serve as the 2024 Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest Grand Marshal!” said Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla Captain Truett Gardner. “All I have to say is look out Tampa Bay! We look forward to Bert’s energy and hometown pride to lead this year’s festivities for a lively crowd along Bayshore Boulevard.”
Kreischer and this year’s honorary Community Hero, World War II US Army “Buffalo Soldier” Roy J. Caldwood, will lead more than 115 parade floats, marching bands, krewe members, and more on the four-and-a-half mile parade route along Bayshore Boulevard starting at 2 p.m. on Jan. 27.
