The legendary pirate, Jose Gaspar, and his band of marauding buccaneers return to Tampa, Florida on Saturday, February 7, 2009, for Gasparilla Days to re-enact the historic pirate invasion, which began in 1904. For nearly a century, hundreds of colorfully costumed pirates "sail" into downtown Tampa on their pirate ship, Jose Gasparilla, with cannons and pistols blazing, accompanied by a flotilla of hundreds of boats. The Captain and his Krewe capture the city (with little resistance), and share their wealth of trinkets and doubloons with the enthusiastic crowd along the parade route. This historic parade begins two miles south of downtown Tampa on scenic Bayshore Boulevard and winds along Hillsborough Bay into downtown to the delight of about 400,000 festival onlookers. The Pirate Fest Street Festival continues the day's celebration on into the night, as the fun continues with a musical celebration on stages throughout downtown Tampa. There is also a "Super Tailgate Party", various entertainment and music stages and a large and impressive fireworks display.
There are also non-alcoholic events on January 24, 2009, for the Gasparilla Extravaganza.
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