Gasparilla Pirate Fest

The Gasparilla Pirate Fest, comparable to the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans, is held in Tampa in February, in association with the state fair.

The Gasparilla Pirate Fest, a February event highlighted by a pirate invasion of the city, is held annually in Tampa; its theme is based on legendary pirate Jose Gaspar, who is said to have terrorized western Florida in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Busch…