A 164-foot reproduction pirate ship sails up Florida’s Tampa Bay, and about 500 costumed pirates lower themselves over the side and “capture” the city of Tampa, raising the pirate flag over city hall. Thus begins the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, one of the nation’s largest and best-attended celebrations. The mock invasion is followed by a three-hour victory parade featuring members of a men’s club known as Ye Mystic Krewe. The festival is named for José Gaspar, an 18th-century Spanish pirate who terrorized the Florida coast from around 1783 until his death in 1821. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary