booty booty booty booty rockin’ everywhere

From what I can tell, Gasparilla is the nation’s biggest pirate festival.  It’s gotta be – we stretch this thing out for about two months.

It all starts with the Children’s Parade & Extravaganza, and includes the main Invasion, Parade, and PirateFest, the Krewe of the Knights of Sant’ Yago Illuminated Knight Parade, the Gasparilla Distance Classic marathon running race, the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, Gasparilla Pageant, and the Gasparilla Film Festival.

But by no means do we have a monopoly on the idea.  There are more than 70 pirate theme festivals across the United States each year.  Yeah – even skipping Tampa’s, you could average more than one piratical procession per week.

In fact, there are 14 different events where you can pirate in Florida.

• In February in Deerfield Beach, the third weekend of the Florida Renaissance Festival is the “Pillage of the Village” pirate weekend.
• In March in St. Augustine, pirates sack the city during Searle’s Raid.
• On the first weekend in May, Fernandina Beach hosts the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, including a pirate invasion and parade by the Fernandina pirates.
• In June, Madeira Beach holds the John Levique Pirate Days.
• Also in June at Fort Walton Beach you can find the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival.
• Drake’s Raid takes place in St. Augustine in June, too.
• In October, head to Boynton Beach for the Pirates of the Intracoastal pirate faire
• The Fort Myers Beach Pirate Festival is in early October.
• And then head to Key Largo in late October for the Black Caesar Pirates Festival.
• Last November the first annual Ray Kitchens Memorial Pirate Treasure Run was held to Benefit LifePath Hospice in Clearwater.
• Each November St. Augustine hosts the Saint Arrrgustine Pirate Gathering
• St. Petersburg host an annual Florida Pirate Festival in November.
• Starting the last weekend in November, Key West holds the Pirates in Paradise Festival

Happy pirating.