Gasparilla: Promoting More Than Just a Parade
Gaspar’s Grenadiers are Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla’s outreach pirates, carrying the spirit and tradition of Gasparilla into the community year round.
Their story began in 1969, when a group of young Krewe members formed what became known as the Special Events Committee. In the days before the Parade of Pirates, members dressed in full pirate attire and visited children in Tampa-area hospitals, bringing Gasparilla to those who could not experience the celebration themselves.
Over the decades, the committee’s role continued to grow. By the 1980s, members were traveling beyond Tampa, representing Ye Mystic Krewe, Gasparilla, and the city at events across the country. What began as a series of local hospital visits evolved into a year-round community outreach tradition.
In 2009, after 40 years as the Special Events Committee, the group officially took on a new name: Gaspar’s Grenadiers. The new identity reflected the role its members had become as Gasparilla’s ambassadors in the community, while carrying forward the mission that began with those first hospital visits in 1969.
A Special Tradition Takes to the Water
In 2014, the Grenadiers expanded that mission in a particularly meaningful way, hosting the first Pirate-for-a-Day Cruise aboard the José Gasparilla II for a child battling cancer.
Working with the Tampa-based National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, the Grenadiers have since welcomed dozens of children and their families aboard for their own Gasparilla adventure. For a day, children facing cancer become part of the crew, experiencing the pirate ship, the traditions of Gasparilla, and an adventure created entirely for them and their families.
The Mission Continues
Today, Gaspar’s Grenadiers participate in approximately 60 events each year, visiting hospitals, assisted living centers, schools, children’s organizations, and other community groups. They also continue the tradition of representing Gasparilla and Tampa at events throughout the country.
More than five decades after those first hospital visits, the name may have changed, and the reach may have grown, but the purpose remains much the same: bringing Gasparilla beyond the parade route and sharing its spirit with the community.
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