TAMPA, Fla. — Thousands of tiny pirates will take over Bayshore Boulevard on Saturday for the Children’s Gasparilla Parade. Parking will be a challenge and some roads will be shut down. Here's what you need to know:
Road closures
The northbound lanes of Bayshore Blvd will close from Bay to Bay Blvd to Rome Avenue beginning at 2 a.m.
A few hours later at 6:30 a.m., Bayshore Blvd will close from Gandy Blvd to Platt Street. The Davis Islands off-ramp bridge to northbound Bayshore Blvd will also close at that time. And, there will be a small closure on Bay to Bay Blvd at Ysabella Ave.
At 9 a.m., one eastbound and westbound lane on Bay to Bay Blvd will close from MacDill Ave to Ysabella Ave.
Then, at 4:30 p.m., eastbound Bay to Bay Blvd will close at MacDill Ave.
Parking
If you are planning on parking in downtown Tampa, you can prepay to reserve a spot in city lots and garages.
To help families get to the parade, a shuttle is running from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Riders will be picked up at the corner of Franklin and Whiting Street, near the Fort Brooke garage. The shuttle will drop people off near Bayshore Blvd, close to Bay to Bay Blvd and the Selmon Expressway.
The shuttle costs $10 per adult. Children with an adult are free.
There will also be a free trolley running on a loop. It will pick up and drop off riders at the intersections of Platt Street and Bayshore Blvd and Rome Ave and Bayshore Blvd.
For more parking information, click here.
