Tampa is a city in Florida, a state in the U.S. It is considered as Hillsborough County’s county seat. A county seat refers to a city or town which serves as the county’s administrative center. This city is situated on Florida’s west coast. As of 2010, the population of Tampa has reached 335,709. There was a variety of indigenous cultures that once inhabited the current location of the city. Presently, the city is part of the Tampa Bay Area. For tourists, there are a lot of reasons why this city is worth visiting and one of them is the list of Tampa events that everyone should always look forward to every year.
There are several events held annually in the city. And perhaps the most popular one is the Gasparilla Pirate Festival which is annually celebrated. Each year, this festival is celebrated in the last quarter of January. It is hosted by the Tampa City and Gasparilla Ye Mystic Krewe. It is serves as a celebration for Jose Gaspar apocryphal legend. Purportedly, he was a pirate captain of Spanish nationality whose operations took place in Southwest Florida.
The festival’s theme is Gasparilla’s invasion together with his company. The celebration begins with the arrival of “Krewe”, a groups made up of Tampa residents, aboard a pirate ship measuring 165 feet in length in Tampa Bay. The city mayor then hands the city’s key to the pirate captain. Subsequently, a parade takes place along the Bayshore Boulevard, one of Tampa’s major streets. During the parade, the members of “Krewes” throw coins, beads and other stuffs while they are shooting from floats blank pistols.
More than 400,000 people attend this celebration. The spectacular parade has been telecast since 1955 on WFLA-TV. According to the official website of this big event, Gasparilla parade in 2003 contributed almost $23 million to the economy of the city.
Another highly anticipated Tampa event is the Outback Bowl. It is an annual football bowl game of college students held every New Year’s Day. This game is played at the Raymond James Stadium located in Tampa, Florida. The original name of this big event is Hall of Fame Bowl. This former name was used from 1986-1994. In 1995, the game was renamed after its newly selected title sponsor called Outback Steakhouse, a casual dining restaurant based in Tampa. The organizer of this event is the Bowl Association of Tampa Bay under the CEO Jim McVay.
The Florida State Fair is included in the big Tampa events that a lot of Americans look forward to each year. It is an annual event held at Florida State Fairgrounds located near the state of Tampa. This is considered as the official fair of the state of Florida. In this event, there are various exhibits, shows and rides scattered all over the said venue. The agricultural industry of the state of Florida is showcased in this event. This state fair also features a variety of competitions including agricultural and fine arts competitions. This yearly event typically lasts for eleven consecutive days.
Tampa events can never be complete without Guavaween. It is a yearly Halloween celebration which is Latin- flavored and happens on the last day of the month of October. It is held in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida. The name of this event was based on the nickname of Tampa which is “The Big Guava”. It has become one of the biggest events in Ybor. More than 100,000 people from across the globe are attracted to this gigantic celebration.
Truly, Tampa events should not be missed out on by everybody. These events have attracted thousands or even millions of tourists from the four corners of the Earth. Coming to any of them is all about having fun, being entertained and learning lessons as far as culture and history of Tampa are concerned.