From the Tampa Police website
(Note: The mispelling of “fundraising” is not my error, that is how the Tampa police spell it 
)
DON’T bring any glass containers. There is a City of Tampa ordinance prohibiting open glass containers on city streets, sidewalks, alleys and other outdoor public property.DON’T bring alcoholic beverages to this event. It is illegal, in the City of Tampa, to consume any alcoholic beverage on any city street, sidewalk, alley or other public property. Its also illegal to possess an open alcoholic beverage container on city streets, sidewalks, alleys or other city property.
Gasparilla Day parade provides areas within the event that are Wet Zoned to consume Alcoholic Beverages. These Zones are managed by Non-Profit Charities as funder raises for their organization. We recommend persons patronize these locations and discourage consuming Alcoholic Beverages outside of the Wet Zone Areas.Persons with coolers and holding tickets to corporate tents and pre paid seating areas will be deterred from entering the area with their cooler. Event security will be checking these items.
Persons with kegs and dispensing Alcohol on Public property will have these items confiscated.
Jessica
4 years ago
They’ve been turning tons of people away that were bringing their own alcohol. Bud and Miller pulled out their sponsorship of the parades. From what I know, I may be wrong, but I think they aren’t selling beer at the vendors, just pre-mixed and pre-bottled liquor drinks.
Interesting twist for Gasparilla.
Danya
4 years ago
This doesn’t really have to do with drinking but USF senate will be voting on a bill soon as to whether to have a Bulls float in the parade (and I think it’ll pass too).
Bark
4 years ago
Well, what about Buc’s games and the Outback Bowl??? They seem to overlook that stuff then.
Smitty
4 years ago
I saw plenty of people dragging coolers around, drinking beers and liquor drinks as they strolled along the sidewalks. I saw plenty of police not doing anything about it.
But I also thought this was the best-behaved mob I’d ever seen.
editengine
4 years ago
There was a USF float in the parade I thought?
tommy
4 years ago
Beer and liquor were plentiful, and there was a float for USF.
There was a huge crowd, and as Smitty mentioned, very well-behaved.
Editengine
4 years ago
Yeah the rule seemed to be if you don’t cause trouble with your drinking the cops weren’t going to give you trouble.
jrtnutt
4 years ago
I walked right through to our pre-paid seats with my cooler full of home made Sangria, in Glass bottles, no one checked. We all had a good time. I didn’t see one fight, everyone was pleasant…It was my first Garsparilla and I was pleasantly surprised.
tim
4 years ago
ahahahahahaha open alcohol containers not allowed ahahahhahaha
We had a whole bunch of conversations with police officers while openly chugging boubon from a plastic bottle.
I think the glass thing is what they’re most concerned about.
Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog » i once was a gasparilla virgin
4 years ago
[...] This past Saturday, I learned a few things about Gasparilla that are quite a bit different than my preconceived notions. I had never been before, and the reputation of the party is, well, you know what it is. But – for future first-timers, let me share my day with you. [...]