Ahoy! Pirates Invade Tampa in Annual Gasparilla Parade

Arrrh, legendary pirate Jose Gaspar and his band of Buccaneers have taken over the city of Tampa, Fla., this Saturday. Why? Because it's Gasparilla Day in Tampa! Gasparilla is a local holiday in Tampa that is based on the lore of Jose Gaspar, a former Royal Spanish Navy lieutenant, who is said to have sailed the waters off West Florida during the late 1700s and early 1800s.

The Gasparilla events that have unfolded in Tampa since 1904 include a massive flotilla led by a pirate ship that sails into the waters of Tampa Bay. Once Gaspar's pirates set anchor in Tampa, they - along with pirates belonging to several other Krewes - stampede down Bayshore Boulevard and throw countless strings of beads at the city's thousands of onlooking merry revelers. Local high school bands and Tampa organizations join the pirates and their swashbuckling Krewes in the parade.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

While Gasparilla is one of the most-popular annual parades in the nation, the pirate party isn't the only annual festivity that captures the nation's attention. Mardi Gras, which takes place further north along the Gulf coast in New Orleans, is a centuries-old carnival-like celebration that hearkens back to the days of the area's French rule in the 1700s.

Like the Gasparilla celebration, the events surrounding Mardi Gras include a grand parade populated by many Krewes, marching bands, and merry makers who share in the gala fun with strings of beads.

Ohio's Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Ein prosit! The largest Oktoberfest celebration in the nation is held every year in Cincinnati, Ohio. Over 500,000 people attend Oktoberfest Zinzinnati every year. In fact, in 1994, a world record was set at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati - 48,000 people took part in the world's largest chicken dance! Some 80,000 bratwursts are served over the course of a typical Oktoberfest Zinzinnati weekend.

Every year, tens of millions of people celebrate Oktoberfest around the world; the first Oktoberfest was held in Munich, Germany in 1810 as a celebration following the marriage of Crown Prince Luitpold I and Princess Theressa of Bavaria.

New York's St. Patrick's Day Parade

Is there any better place to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the United States than in New York City? 2011 marks the 250th annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York City, and hundreds of thousands of people will line the streets in shades of green, orange, and white to celebrate what is the largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world.

The New York City event celebrates not only St. Patrick's Day but also the Irish culture and countless contributions of Irish Americans in the Big Apple and throughout the United States.