Thousands invade Tampa for the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival

(27 Jan 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tampa, Florida - 27 January 2024
1. Various of pirate ship coming into the bay
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Scott Collins, Gasparilla attendee
"Basically the legendary José Gaspar stormed Tampa Bay and took over the city. And that's basically the lore of Gasparilla.
3. Wide shot of pirate ship arriving
4. Crowds by pirate ship
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Scott Collins, Gasparilla attendee
"So we're up here at the convention center that we go every year for the invasion, where the José Gaspar II, the boat, comes in, storms the beach, and all the pirates come out, pummeling out, and takes over the city and the mayor surrenders the key to the city."
6. Various of pirates on ship
7. Mayor handing over key to the city to pirate
8. Various of crowds in downtown Tampa
9. Boats with pirate flags
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Eliza Villapando, Gasparilla attendee:
"This is my first Gasparilla, and I heard about it when I first got here, and I'm like, oh, I was looking so forward to it. And I prepared and I'm just having so much fun
11. Crowds standing on bridge
12. People taking selfie with pirate bear
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Eliza Villapando, Gasparilla attendee:
"There's so many people here, everyone's so dressed up as pirates, and I just love the spirit of it. It's awesome, it makes me want to go 'Argh'"
14. Wide of pirate ship and bay
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Tommy O'Connor, Gasparilla attendee:
"I think that is like, one of the most exciting parts of something like this, is just seeing the entire community come out and the entire- I don't know, we're all here doing the same thing. I don't know, we're all here doing the same thing. Everyone looks a little silly, but we're all here having a lot of fun, and that's what matters."
16. Man playing violin along river walk
STORYLINE:
Revelers clad in pirate finery packed Tampa’s waterfront Saturday as a flotilla of boats arrived for the city’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest.
Led by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the invading pirates docked to make a final demand for the key to the city. Once ashore, the festivities celebrating their annual invasion included an afternoon parade through downtown and live music.
A fixture nearly every year since 1904, the Gasparilla Pirate Fest is named for the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar. There’s not much evidence he actually existed, but according to legend he plundered ships and captured hostages in the Gulf of Mexico from the 1780s until around 1821.
The colorful account of his supposed life first surfaced in the early 1900s in an advertising brochure for the Gasparilla Inn, which was located south of Tampa in Boca Grande at the end of a rail line and in need of an exciting promotion.
Called the “Last of the Buccaneers,” Gaspar’s memory lives on in the name of Tampa Bay’s NFL team.
AP video by Laura Bargfeld
===========================================================
Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel [phone] Email: [e-mail].
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives ​​
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...