In the Tampa Bay Area, Gasparilla, and the parade that accompanies it, is an annual tradition where the Mayor of Tampa gives away the key to the city to a gang of pirates (not real) and allows them to take over everything for a day.

For some, it’s a storied tradition where artists get together to build magnificent floats. For others, it’s an excuse to consume as much drugs and alcohol as humanly possible.

In 2023, I went out and interviewed some of the characters roaming about.