Gasparilla Parade

  Yesterday I attended my first Gasparilla parade here in Tampa. Every year the city is 'invaded' by pirates who parade through town tossing beads on the crowds they pass by. I planted myself towards the end of the parade route near Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa.  

  Events like this bring out all kinds of characters, most dressed as pirates but others like this guy just see it as an excuse to dress up as whatever they want!

  Here I snagged a photo of Jim Belushi who was the Parades Grand Marshal.  I discovered that it is not so easy to take great photos of a parade as with things moving quickly you need to move quickly! Next year I will focus more on the people attending then the parade itself but here are some other fun photos that give you an idea of what the event is like.

  I had to wait a long time for the parade to get to where I was but when it did, wow was it long, the floats just kept coming and coming and beads were flying everywhere!  I moved down so that I could get some shots with this fun building in the background.

  I enjoyed myself. It is always fun going to events like these where everyone is dressing up and just having a good time. Reminds me of the Renaissance Festival which will be here starting next month.