Gasparilla is the name of a mythical pirate captain who supposedly operated in southwest Florida in the early 1800s. The legend of Gasparilla has become an important part of the local culture and tourism industry in Tampa and the surrounding area. The annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival held in Tampa features a mock pirate invasion and parade and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The Gasparilla Bowl college football game played in Tampa also takes its name from this local legend.
The Legend of Gasparilla
There are many variations of the Gasparilla legend, but the basic story is that he was a Spanish pirate who operated in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. According to legend, Gasparilla attacked and looted ships and amassed a huge treasure hoard with plunder from across the Spanish Main. His flagship was named the Floriblanca.
In one version of the tale, Gasparilla’s career came to an end in 1821 when his ship was taking on water and he wanted to retire his pirate crew. He sailed for Charlotte Harbor off Florida’s southwest coast where he knew a Spanish merchant ship loaded with treasure would be passing. Gasparilla lured the merchant ship into range by flying a British flag, then raised his pirate flag and captured the ship. After taking the treasure onboard his own ship, he executed the surviving crew to eliminate any witnesses.
With his plunder secured, Gasparilla next had to deal with his own crew. He sailed away from land and once out of sight, he secretly removed the ship’s plug, scuttling his leaky old flagship. As the ship was sinking, he convinced his pirates to transfer the treasure onto smaller boats which he said they could use to reach shore. But once in the smaller boats, the pirates were surprised when Gasparilla rowed away in one boat full of treasure, abandoning them.
The rest of the pirates foundered and eventually drowned. Gasparilla made it safely to shore with the treasure and supposedly retired, possibly under a new identity. Before abandoning his crew, he had forced them to swear on a Bible to never reveal his true identity, which is why Gasparilla was able to evade capture.
The legends say Gasparilla stashed his huge treasure hoard in southwest Florida, protected by traps and curses to keep it hidden. Treasure hunters have searched for Gasparilla’s loot for over a century with no success.
While there is no evidence that Gasparilla actually existed, his legend is firmly established in local folklore in the Tampa Bay area. The story shares similarities with other pirate tales like that of Blackbeard. The Gasparilla legend has been retold and embellished for generations.
Origins of the Gasparilla Legend
The earliest known references to the Gasparilla legend date back to the late 1800s. In the decades after the Civil War, the South Florida frontier was still largely wilderness. An author named Louise Frisbie published a series of travel essays in the early 1880s describing her journeys along Florida’s west coast. These essays contained the first known written accounts of the Gasparilla legend.
Frisbie’s essays describe hearing tales from local fishermen and ranchers about a notorious pirate captain named Gasparilla who once plundered ships and terrorized the coast before mysteriously disappearing along with his treasure. Her accounts seem to be a mix of local lore about shipwrecks and smuggling with elements of tall tales and fiction thrown in.
The legends seem to borrow from the stories of other real and mythic pirates like Blackbeard and Lafitte. Over time, the local tales of Gasparilla grew more elaborate as storytellers competed to make their versions entertaining by inventing colorful details.
In the early 1900s, accounts of Gasparilla were cemented in popular culture when they were included in publications by other writers like Karl Grismer and Theodore Lesley. These authors treated the Gasparilla stories as fact, helping spread and legitimize the myth. Lesley even published what was claimed to be Gasparilla’s authentic last will and testament.
The Gasparilla legends really took off after the Gasparilla Pirate Festival was founded in Tampa in 1904. The festival brought increased visibility and publicity to the tales, becoming inextricably linked with Tampa’s cultural identity.
The Gasparilla Pirate Festival
The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is a large annual event held in Tampa Bay celebrating the local legend of Gasparilla and hosting an invasion by his piratical spirit. It is often considered the largest pirate festival in the world.
The Gasparilla festival was inspired by several other festivals held in the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Mardi Gras festivals in New Orleans and Carnival celebrations in Pensacola and Mobile were popular events that promoted civic spirit and heritage.
In 1904, Tampa’s own pirate-themed festival was conceived. The first Gasparilla Pirate Festival was held in May 1904 with a waterfront parade of boats and a mock “invasion” by pirates marching through downtown. It was staged by a group of prominent local businessmen and social clubs seeking to generate economic activity and tourism.
The parade soon became the festival’s main attraction, featuring floats, pirates, marching bands, and a finale when the pirate ship sails into the harbor, cannons blazing. Riders on horseback dressed as pirates would throw beads, doubloons, and other trinkets to the crowd, as during Mardi Gras.
Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, formed in 1911, became the organizing group for the annual Tampa event. Over the years, krewes from other Florida cities would also participate. The Gasparilla parade grew longer and more elaborate, attracting huge crowds.
In 1991, the Gasparilla Pirate Festival was officially renamed Tampa Gasparilla to reflect its civic status. It typically takes place in late January or early February, with events throughout the city leading up to the big parade.
Other activities of Tampa Gasparilla include a children’s parade, an art festival, a film festival, and a distance race. The Gasparilla parade itself now includes hundreds of floats, over 50 “krewes” or clubs, marching bands, and thousands of riders.
Tampa’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival draws upwards of 300,000 visitors each year to its waterfront parades and celebrations. The spirit of the mythical pirate captain is still center stage.
The Gasparilla Bowl
The Gasparilla Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in December at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. As its name indicates, the Gasparilla Bowl takes its inspiration from the local legend and festival of Gasparilla in Tampa Bay.
The inaugural Gasparilla Bowl was held in 2008 under the sponsorship of St. Petersburg Bowl, Inc. Originally it was known as the St. Petersburg Bowl from 2008-2013 before changing its name to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl from 2014-2017. The bowl acquired its current Gasparilla Bowl title in 2018.
Over its history, the Gasparilla Bowl has featured teams from schools in the ACC, American, Big 12, C-USA, MAC and other conferences. The University of South Florida, based in Tampa, has played in the bowl game several times.
The Gasparilla Bowl showcases top college teams and brings positive national attention to the Tampa area. It builds on the region’s piratical heritage embodied in the local Gasparilla legends and annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival.
The 2022 Gasparilla Bowl will be held on December 23, once again at Raymond James Stadium. It will feature teams from the ACC and SEC conferences. ESPN Events owns and operates the bowl game.
Previous team matchups in the Gasparilla Bowl include:
| Year | Team 1 | Team 2 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| 2021 | UCF | Florida | UCF 29-17 |
| 2020 | UAB | South Carolina | UAB 31-28 |
| 2019 | UCF | Marshall | UCF 48-25 |
| 2018 | Marshall | South Florida | Marshall 38-20 |
The Gasparilla Bowl showcases top college football talent while celebrating Tampa’s history and culture. It has become a popular annual tradition for football fans throughout Florida and beyond.
Gasparilla References in Popular Culture
Beyond the local Tampa Bay area, references to the legend of Gasparilla have appeared in popular culture over the years:
- The epic poem “Gasparilla” was published in 1910 by Florida poet George W. Coleman, glorifying the pirate captain in an embellished tale.
- Babe Ruth hit a home run into the waters of Tampa Bay during a Gasparilla Pirate Festival exhibition game in 1919.
- The University of Tampa adopted the team name “Tampa Spartans” in the 1960s, but the mascot dressed as a pirate named Captain Gasparilla.
- An episode in season 4 of the TV show Dexter is titled “Gasparilla” and references the Tampa event.
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL team has embraced Gasparilla history, even featuring a massive pirate ship in their stadium.
The legend clearly holds an enduring place in popular imagination, especially in Florida. More references continue to appear as new generations learn the colorful tales.
Gasparilla’s Enduring Popularity
The legend of Gasparilla has proved remarkably durable, lasting well over a century since the first written accounts. Tampa’s annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival remains one of the region’s signature events. So what explains the enduring popularity of this mythical pirate figure?
Several factors contribute to the longevity of the Gasparilla legend:
- The stories represent a romanticized version of local history, with pirates lending adventure.
- The festival tradition strengthens civic identity and provides economic benefits.
- Colorful characters and details make the tales entertaining and fun to retell.
- Ongoing fascination with pirates in popular culture keeps interest alive.
- The legends contain an appealing mystery with Gasparilla’s missing treasure.
New generations continue to be drawn to the legend when they participate in the festival or first hear the timeless pirate tales. The spirit of Gasparilla seems certain to live on for years to come.
Conclusion
Gasparilla is the name of a mythical pirate captain who plays an important role in the folklore and cultural traditions of Tampa, Florida. While no evidence proves Gasparilla actually existed, legends about his piracy and missing treasure have entertained locals and visitors for over a century.
The annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival hosts a parade, invasion, and other events celebrating this local lore. Tampa’s college football bowl game also bears the Gasparilla name. The colorful tales keep appearing in popular culture, helping perpetuate the mystery and appeal of Gasparilla.
Gasparilla provides a romanticized piratical identity for Tampa Bay and its residents. For locals and tourists alike, the legends of this mythical pirate will continue capturing the imagination for generations to come.