Gasparilla A.D. 2017

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Gasparilla Pirate Festival FAQs Heading to the Gasparilla Pirate Festival for the first time? Here’s what you need to know.

How much does it cost to attend?

The Gasparilla Pirate Fest is free, but you can purchase reserved seating for the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch, the Children’s Gasparilla Parade and the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates at GasparillaPirateFest.com/main-festival by clicking on Gasparilla Treasures.

Can I purchase alcohol at the festival?

If you’re 21 or older with valid ID, you can purchase beer and wine at one of the fest’s many Gasparilla Charity Beer Gardens. One hundred percent of the net revenue goes to local Tampa Bay charities. (Note: the Charity Beer Gardens accept cash only.)

May I bring my own snacks and drinks?

Yes. However, glass containers, coolers and grills are not permitted. The festival also asks that you not bring Styrofoam containers.

By Gina Vivinetto, Times correspondent

Can I ride my bike to the festival?

Bikes are allowed for transportation to the festival, but once you’re inside the event site, you must walk with your bike. Don’t leave your bike unattended and don’t lock it to private or city property.

May I drive my golf cart at the festival?

No. Only golf carts used by authorized festival staff and vendors are permitted.

May I bring my pet?

No. Other than animals assisting handicapped attendees, pets are prohibited.

Are services available for disabled patrons?

Yes. There is parking (for a fee), and free parade viewing for disabled patrons is located in downtown Tampa at the intersection of Ashley Drive and Whiting Street. Parking for the area is available in the Fort Brooke Garage on a first-come, first-served basis. Disabled patrons can also be accommodated in reserved parade seating along Bayshore Boulevard and/or at the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch at the Tampa Convention Center. Call 813-251-8844 or go to gasparillapiratefest.com/mainfestival and click on Gasparilla Treasures for more info.

Will restrooms be available?

Yes. Portable toilets will be located throughout the event site.

Are strollers allowed?

Yes. In reserved seating sections, strollers must be stowed under bleachers or in a nonobstructive area on ground level.

May I pitch a tent at the festival?

No. However, you may bring folding chairs and/or blankets.

What if it rains?

The pirates still invade and the parade marches on!

However, if a dangerous weather situation arises, the festival’s organizers reserve the right to cancel the event.

For more information about these and other issues, go to gasparillapiratefest.com/mainfestival and click on FAQs.

t’s that time of year again and you know what that means. He’s back! Jose Gaspar, the legendary – some say mythical – Spanish swashbuckler who terrorized Florida’s coastal waters during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Since 1904, Tampa residents and tourists in the area have been paying tribute to the rapscallion Gaspar – allegedly a former naval officer who ditched his day job to sink ships, loot treasure and kidnap beautiful women.

It all began when Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, a gang of Tampa citizens with a penchant for the pirate life, hosted the first Gasparilla celebration as part of Tampa’s annual May Day festival.

The festival expanded over the years, and these days we toast Gaspar in a month-long series of events, the most spectacular of which is the rollicking Gasparilla Pirate Festival, two weekends of parades, music and kid’s activities and one gloriously epic pirate invasion in the waters surrounding downtown Tampa.

The festival kicks off Saturday, Jan. 21, with a full day of pintsized pirate fun at the McDonald’s Gasparilla Children’s Extravaganza, an event that’s charmed generations of locals since 1947. More than 100,000 little ones (and their parents and grandparents) take to the streets in their own family-friendly invasion

that includes a Bicycle and Safety Pedestrian Rodeo, the Gasparilla Preschooler’s Stroll for kids 5 and under, and – the day’s highlight – the Gasparilla Children’s Parade, featuring dozens of floats, school bands, local dance studios and more G-rated fun. The day ends at 7 p.m. with a fabulous “Piratechnic” firework display.

The following weekend, on Saturday, Jan. 28, grown-up pirates storm the city in the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion. Watch as the pirate ship flotilla, led, of course, by the Jose Gasparilla II, sails up Seddon Channel and docks at the Tampa Convention Center. Once the invasion hits land, the captain of Ye Mystic Krewe will force Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn to surrender the key to the City.

Then, the real carousing begins with the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates. The sprawling parade, which travels for 3.8 miles along Bayshore Boulevard, is the thirdlargest in the United States. Each year it attracts more than 200,000 bead-crazy fun-lovers with its elaborate floats, thrilling marching bands and marauding pirate krewes.

Of course, Gasparilla is about more than pirate beads and booty.

Participating krewes – more than 60 this year – give back to the community as part of their mission.

Tampa Bay-area krewes raise

hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for local nonprofits, and members volunteer their time at local hospitals, schools, churches and other organizations. The giving doesn’t stop at Gasparilla. Many krewe members spend time before the festival visiting local hospitals in full pirate regalia. The City of Tampa also provides designated spots for local nonprofits to sell food and drinks along the parade route.

Last year, the festival’s Charity Beer Gardens raised more than $100,000 for local nonprofits.

Read all about the Gasparilla Pirate Festival’s many events and charitable krewes in the pages of this guide. You’ll find parade details, insider tips and fun historical facts about the festival.

You’ll even get the chance to meet Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, the scalawags who started it all.

So grab some parade beads, be safe and have fun. For the next couple of weeks, it’s the pirate life for all of us!

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Keep It

During

Gasparilla

By Virginia Pelley, Times correspondent It might sound incongruous considering

that Gasparilla is a festival celebrating marauding, thieving sea bandits, but organizers and many revelers alike couldn’t be more thrilled about the robust police presence at the event.

“We have a wonderful relationship with law enforcement – none of this gets done without them,” says Christopher Lykes, captain of the Jose Gasparilla II and member of Ye Mystic Krewe.

Recalling the prevalence of pistol-wielding pirates walking the parade in years past (only

a specially trained gunners guild is allowed to shoot guns during the parade now), Anne Bartlett, former president of Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O’Malley, agrees: “The Tampa police do a fantastic job keeping the event safe without being too heavy-handed,” she says, referring to their policing results as “controlled chaos.”

In the last several years, personable police officers have visited area high schools and colleges as part of an education program to reduce crime, underage drinking in particular, during Gasparilla.

“We try to do it in a nice, entertaining way,” Steve Hegarty, public information officer for the Tampa Police Department, says of the program they present at schools. “Instead of a scolding, finger-wagging approach, we tell them everyone’s welcome and we want you to have a good time, but if we have to, we will arrest you.”

Part of what police emphasize is the importance of respect and being a good neighbor, messages that seem to have sunk in.

Police arrested more than 400 people in 2010,

mostly for misdemeanors including marijuana possession and disorderly conduct, but last year arrests dropped to a couple dozen.

Police officers from other departments help during Tampa’s Gasparilla Pirate Fest, as well, and the heightened presence seems to have a positive impact.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck event for us,” Hegarty says, explaining that officers from departments in other counties help Tampa police safeguard Gasparilla events. “When law enforcement is always visible somewhere, people feel safer and tend to behave better.”

Their presence isn’t restricted to just the parade route either. Hegarty says police cruise around the surrounding neighborhoods, too, making sure no one is trespassing or urinating on anyone’s property. They might even check out a party or two.

“We’ll wander through parties two or three blocks up with big smiles and giving fist bumps, but we’ll be looking for any underage drinking,” Hegarty says. “People should be aware that we’re going to be all over the place.”

Here are some safety tips to keep in mind to make sure everyone has a good time during the Pirate Fest: • Don’t bring glass, coolers or grills • Don’t bring weapons or illegal drugs • Don’t fight • Don’t throw beads back at the krewes Not without establishing eye contact first, anyway. “We encourage people to not throw beads back at us,” says Bartlett. “People think they’re participating and just playing along when they throw beads back at us, but if we’re not expecting it, it can be dangerous.”

• Don’t bring tents or rope off areas for your party • Leave pets (other than service animals) at home No matter how adorable your pug looks in his bandana and eye patch, don’t bring him to the parade. (It’s probably too noisy for him anyway!)

• Boats should have designated drivers, too Waterways are crowded and when alcohol is in the mix, things can get chaotic on the water, if not tragic. Keep in mind that inebriated boaters have made up a good portion of Gasparilla-related arrests in past years. See the FAQ page at gasparillapiratefest.com for more specifics about boat rules, including when and where motorless vessels are banned and areas where permits are required to enter during Gasparilla.

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Ybor Channel

Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Rodeo Kids can learn how to safely bike in traffic and score a free helmet while supplies last in this educational event on Bayshore Boulevard between Rome and Dakota avenues. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Gasparilla Preschooler’s Stroll Kids can showcase their best pirate attire in this half-mile walk along Bayshore Boulevard, starting at Howard Avenue at 1:30 p.m. and ending at Rome Avenue. (Advance registration online required.)

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Seminole Hard Rock Gasparilla Pirate Fest Festivities celebrating the Gasparilla invasion and Parade of Pirates by Ye Mystic Krewe kick off at 9 a.m. New this year: stages along the Tampa RiverWalk, live entertainment in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, MacDill Park, the Sail Pavilion at the Tampa Convention Center and Ferg’s Live Tampa.

Harbour GasparillaIsland Invasion Brunch Begins at 10 a.m. Enjoy primo views of the pirate invasion from the Tampa Convention Center, where Ye Mystic Krewe sails in on the Jose Gasparilla II, surrounded by a flotilla of hundreds of other vessels.

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Gasparilla Invasion Ships set sail at 11:30 a.m., crossing Tampa between Davis and Harbor islands with the Jose Gasparilla II docking at 1 p.m. at the Tampa Convention Center.

Gasparilla Parade of Pirates With the cannon smoke still clearing from the invasion, the pirates being their victory parade at 2 p.m. amid more than 90 floats, 2 marching bands and more than 50 krewes. The party heads up Bayshore Boulevard, starting at Bay to Bay Boulevard and ending nearly 4 miles later at Ashley Drive.

BAY TO BAY BLVD.

Children’s Gasparilla Parade Route

Parade begins at Bay to Bay and ends at Edison & Bayshore

Gasparilla Preschooler’s Stroll Route Stroll begins at Howard and ends at Rome

Handicapped Parade Viewing

at Howard on the land side of the parade route

Reserved Parade Seating – Purchased Tickets Please note: The indicated reserved seating locations are based on demand. Areas not utilized for general admission seating will be available for open parade viewing.

Open Parade Viewing

“Piratechnic” Extravaganza What better wrap-up could there be than breathtaking fireworks lighting up the sky? 7 to 7:30 p.m.

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Children’s Gasparilla Parade An integral element of Gasparilla since 1947, the Children’s Gasparilla Parade starts at Bay to Bay and Bayshore boulevards and ends at Edison Avenue. Fox 13 will capture the excitement of the krewes, dance troupes, marching bands, and school and community organizations participating in a liveObroadcast.

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N KS C J A Gasparilla Air Invasion and SOCOM Night Jump 6:15 to 6:30 p.m.

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2017 McDonald’s Children’s Gasparilla Extravaganza

Shuttle Drop-off

Shuttle picks up from: Fort Brooke Garage in Downtown (Whiting & Franklin) and delivers to the Selmon & Bay to Bay

Tickets The parade is free to the public, but you can reserve bleacher seats ($45) at gasparillatreasures.com, where you can also purchase combo tickets that cover seating for the Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Children’s Parade as well as separate tickets for the Invasion Brunch.

Services for the Disabled Cars with disability permits can park free in the Fort Brooke Garage; enter at Whiting Street for hourly parking. Reserve seating tickets ahead of time at gasparillatreasures.com or by calling 813-251-8844, and find more info at gasparillapiratefest.com.

Transportation Gasparillapiratefest.com provides information about buses and streetcar schedules.

Street Closures Call 813-274-8750 to find out where not to drive, and where to park on the day of the parade. You can also follow FL511 on Twitter for updates, visit FL511.com or download the free 511 app on your smartphone.

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Children’s Gasparilla

By Gina Vivinetto, Times correspondent

or Rob Proctor and his family, the McDonald’s Children’s Gasparilla Extravaganza is a winter tradition, a day to revel in costumes, kids’ activities and other G-rated pirate fun.

“We’ve gone every year for the past five years,” says Proctor, who lives in Lutz. The software engineer and his wife, Cyndi, began taking their kids – Emily, 12; Haley, 11; and Nathan, 7 – to the all-day event to watch Haley perform, along with other dancers from Mary Jo’s Performing Arts Academy, in the Gasparilla Children’s Parade.

“I like that the parade has a family-friendly vibe,” says Proctor. “The kids like it because they enjoy catching the beads. They go home and rip them apart and make bead creations with them.

So the beads are the big draw for them.”

“And the candy!” says Haley, who prefers yummier pirate booty.

The popular parade has been a part of the Gasparilla Pirate Festival since 1947, giving generations of young swashbucklers the chance to wear pirate costumes and take to the streets in their own kid-powered invasion.

This year, the parade, which attracts more than 100,000 attendees, features more than 100 different units, says the parade’s director of operations, Maiken Stefany. “We’ll have 60 or so floats, a couple of bands, some dance studios, a couple of different schools and neighborhood organizations – a wide variety of groups that will be out there.”

The parade kicks off at 3:30 p.m. and runs north on Bayshore Boulevard starting at Bay to Bay Boulevard and ending at Edison Avenue around 6 p.m. (It’s also broadcast live every year on FOX 13 and streamlined on MyFoxTampaBay.com.)

Pint-sized pirates age 5 and under can participate in the Gasparilla Preschooler’s Stroll at 1:30 p.m. The half-mile stroll along Bayshore features decorated wagons, strollers, bicycles and pushable floats – but no motorized vehicles of any kind.

“Some parents make amazing replicas of pirate ships with wagons.

We’ve even seen pirate ships that have pretend smoke coming out of them. They get really creative,” says Stefany.

One exciting change to this year’s event finds the Tampa Police Department’s bicycle patrol

unit taking over the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Rodeo. The 11 a.m. event teaches little ones about bike riding and helmet safety.

At 2:45 p.m. and again at 6:15 p.m., the Gasparilla Air Invasion features the ParaCommandos, the U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Team, parachuting down on Bayshore Boulevard near Howard Avenue.

As always, the day ends with a fabulous “Piratechnic” Extravaganza at 7 p.m. “It’s a pretty big show,” says Stefany. “It’s timed to music and there are lights on the ship in the water and, of course, kids love it.”

A FEW TIPS: No large coolers or glass containers are allowed at any Gasparilla kids’ events.

Portable bathrooms will be available, but bring along hand sanitizer.

Bring extra bags for kids to hold beads, candy and other pirate booty they accumulate.

Consider purchasing bleacher seats. Reserved tickets are $35.

Go to gasparillapiratefest.com/ childrens-fest and click on Gasparilla Treasures for more info.

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Not your ordinary

By Virginia Pelley, Times correspondent

The boom of cannons and pop of pistols pierce what’s almost always a gorgeous sunny day as the Jose Gasparilla II leads an invading flotilla into Tampa Bay every January. Seeing the threemast pirate ship emerge through cannon smoke from the narrow Seddon Channel into downtown is a spectacle unique to the city, which is a point of pride for the krewe largely responsible for bringing the experience to Tampa every year.

“It’s a beautiful, colorful, sound- and sight-filled occasion, almost sensory overload,” says Christopher Lykes, captain of the Jose Gasparilla II and member of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, a civic organization credited with the creation of the annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest that the city has celebrated since 1904. “It’s probably one of my most favorite experiences of Gasparilla – the flotilla and invasion as you come into the basin.”

Anyone who has been in Tampa longer than five minutes knows that this re-enactment of Jose Gaspar’s mythic pirate invasion kicks off a festival and parade almost as big and elaborate as Mardi Gras celebrations in Mobile, Ala., and New Orleans. The pirate landing (via horseback until the first maritime invasion in 1911) was originally conceived as a publicity push for Tampa’s May Day celebration, with tongue-in-cheek stories running in the Tampa Tribune warning readers of an imminent pirate attack. More than a century later, the nearly 4-mile parade that follows the invasion attracts hundreds of thousands of onlookers, has major corporate sponsors and more than 100 floats, and raises thousands of dollars for local charities.

The Gasparilla Children’s Parade, usually held the week before the invasion, is said to be the largest such event in the country.

Ye Mystic Krewe was the only band of pirates that participated in the parade for decades, but Gasparilla events started becoming more inclusive in the early 1990s. Once regarded by many Tampa residents as a party for the wealthy, socially connected guys in pirate costumes, the parade has evolved to more accurately reflect the diverse culture of Tampa Bay, with more than 60 civic-minded krewes representing different ethnicities and interests. Over the past several decades, this network of krewes, or InterKrewe Council, has shifted its focus more toward charity fundraising and volunteer endeavors.

Since 1969, Ye Mystic Krewe’s Gaspar’s Grenadiers have visited kids in local hospitals who can’t get to the parade, says executive officer Donald J. Barnes. They sometimes bring children who are ill onto the Jose Gasparilla II to play pirate for the day. The krewe also collects donations for the Salvation Army during the holidays and selects area charities to run the Parade of Pirates beer gardens that dot the route. Last year, the eight gardens raised more than $100,000 altogether.

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YMKG pirates pose for a photo during the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion Parade.

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But the hook, so to speak, for many Gasparilla revelers is less the charitable aspects of Pirate Fest than it is the pageantry and the pirates. Although Jose Gaspar is more legend than actual historic figure, Lykes points out that there is a real-life connection between piracy and Tampa’s history. The Gulf Stream would naturally steer ships close to shore, and they needed smaller vessels to traverse the area’s narrow waterways, which made them more vulnerable to attack. And there’s evidence suggesting that pirates Jean Lafitte, Henry Castor and Henry Ross all had ties to the Tampa Bay area.

“That piece of lore is wrapped up in our culture and our area,” Lykes says. But he chuckles at the idea that the spirit of rebellion is behind Tampans’ fascination with pirates.

“I think it’s the mystery and romance of it more than the rebellion,” he says.

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Than a Parade

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By Gina Vivinetto, Times correspondent

By Virginia Pelley, Times correspondent

The Jose Gasparilla II’s three masts each rise 100 feet into the air.

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In 1937, YMKG scalawags paid $3,150 for their own pirate ship, a black-hulled, three-masted, oakbeamed schooner they named the Jose Gasparilla.

107 18th century The Gasparilla Invasion, which finds a flotilla of pirate ships invading downtown Tampa, pays tribute to the mythical 18thcentury Spanish pirate Jose Gaspar, who (allegedly!) terrorized Florida’s coastal waters.

spectacular floats will travel the route this year.

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60 750 More than 60 swashbuckling krewes will march in the parade.

165 ft.

In 1954, YMKG debuted a second, larger ship, Jose Gasparilla II, which stretches 165 feet from bow to stern and is the star of the Invasion to this day.

vessels will participate in this year’s formal flotilla.

T pir he f s at irs co oon es “ t 4 G m th inv as m ey a p an b din ar de eg g” illa er an o In ing se n h va sh izin ors sion ips g eb s in pow ack fou th er , b nd ew b u at y t er.

The first Gasparilla Pirate Festival happened in 1904 and was hosted by the newly formed Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla (YMKG).

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1904

100

You can hear the passion in his voice when Robert Paredes, president of the Unsinkable Krewe of Molly Brown, talks about his charity pick for the upcoming year: Post 9/11 Veterans.

“They were voted one of the top two nonprofits for veterans in the Tampa Bay area,” says Paredes, who’s an Army vet himself. “Post 9/11 is similar to Wounded Warriors, but the biggest difference is that they’re a strictly 100 percent volunteer organization. All the money they raise goes to vets, for anything and everything from helping them find housing and jobs to writing resumes.”

The organization’s reputation made it easy to get the entire krewe on board with his pick, Paredes says. “I know that veterans don’t get a lot of help when they do come back, so Post 9/11 resonates with us because all of the funds collected actually help them.”

Charity fundraising might be less flashy than riding atop parade floats in elaborate costumes and tossing beads into crowds, but for many Gasparilla krewe members, it’s the most important aspect of krewe membership. The more than 60 krewes in the Tampa Bay area raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities and nonprofits throughout the year.

In addition to hours of in-person volunteer work at hospitals, churches, schools and nonprofits, many krewes combine their love of a good party with charitable endeavors. The motto of the 13 Ugly Men Foundation, a krewe and 501c3 nonprofit, is “party with a purpose,” and they clearly live up to it.

“Our Halloween party raised over $25,000 for the American Suicide Prevention of Tampa Bay,” says president David B. Moyer. “And we just finished an Ugly Sweater holiday party (benefiting) the Children’s Home, where we donated over $1,500 worth of toys.”

The 13 Ugly Men also host annual “white parties” and Fourth of July fests, raising $13,000 a party, Moyer says. With their Red, White and Brew event, the krewe was able to donate $13,000 to Southeastern Guide Dogs. Over their 20-year history, they’ve surpassed $1 million in charitable donations, Moyer says.

Another official nonprofit, the Krewe of Alegria is a group of women who launched a nonprofit offshoot, Alegria’s Kickin’ for Kids, which provides new See Charities, Page 15 athletic shoes to local kids in need.

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Learn these fun facts about the Gasparilla Pirate Festival’s famous Gasparilla Invasion and Gasparilla Parade of Pirates, happening Saturday, Jan. 28.

The Parade of Pirates is the 3rd-largest parade in the United States.

Another 750 smaller vessels will accompany the 14 larger vessels in the mosquito fleet.

3.8 miles

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The parade route stretches 3.8 miles along Bayshore Boulevard.

200,000 Once the ships dock and YMKG seizes the key to the City of Tampa, revelers celebrate in the annual Gasparilla Parade of Pirates, which attracts more than 200,000 attendees.

Ka-boom!

The Jose Gasparilla II’s loudest cannon is the Dragon, which fires 10-gauge blanks from 7 different heads.

The Krewe of Alegria participates in the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates and also provides new athletic shoes for local kids in need through Alegria’s Kickin’ for Kids.

Charities, from Page 14

“We also support various animal-based organizations, such as the Humane Society, through our annual Cutest Pirate Dog Contest,” which will be held Jan. 14 at Ferg’s Live in downtown Tampa, says Jeanne Cameron, secretary of the Krewe of Alegria.

The fundraising doesn’t end during Gasparilla, either. The city allows eight designated spots where local nonprofits can sell beer and wine along the parade route. This year, Pepin Academies, Habitat for Humanity, the Rotary Club of Tampa Bay and the Humane Society are among the licensed charities running the beer gardens, says executive officer of Ye Mystic Krewe, Donald J. Barnes. Last year, the beer gardens raised $107,630, or around $13,000 for each charity, Barnes says.

Many krewes also give back on parade day even before the festivities begin, visiting local hospitals in full costume (pirate or otherwise).

“One of my favorite things that we do is go to the spinal ward at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital,” says Anne Bartlett, former president of Ye Loyal Krewe of Grace O’Malley. “They can’t leave, so we bring the parade to them.

If we can make their day go a little faster and bring some joy to them, there’s nothing better than that.”

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