Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Tampa Bay
 [Register]
Tampa Bay Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 02-03-2015, 10:53 PM
 
Location: Greater Orlampa CSA
5,025 posts, read 5,677,344 times
Reputation: 3950

Advertisements

The parade is something I have wanted to attend for a while, as I love celebrations like that. However, I wasn't sure quite how crazy/manageable the atmosphere would be. I don't want to go down there for the sole purpose of going crazy. That isn't my scene. However, if it's just a fun atmosphere overall, I do want to attend sometime. Are there certain sections where the crowd is less thronged together, or there's a lower percentage of people that have had way too much to drink? Something like a set of stands to sit in? Curious about any and all experiences, both positive and negative.

Note: I'm not anti drinking, I probably would have a few drinks while down there. I just don't want to be a part of an atmosphere that could be classified as "trashy", where people are spilling beer and the like. I've never been, so I wouldn't know quite what to expect. As long as they aren't too crazy, I don't mind big crowds, and actually enjoy them, but some in my party are not too big on them, hence why I wouldn't mind hearing if there's a separate seating area, or you can pay a fee to watch from a boat. Note that this is referencing whether or not to attend next year's parade. I know that I at least want to do this once at some point.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 02-03-2015, 11:02 PM
 
4,231 posts, read 15,425,493 times
Reputation: 4099
Have never been (or heard of it til recently for that matter) but friends of ours volunteered, passed out beads and loved it, it looks like a real fun event, no clue about drinking, I guess it could happen in any big crowd but I would think it's not too common, most ppl are careful at events like that but anything is possible. Neat if you could watch from a boat, hopefully others will know more. It does look like a lot of fun, wish it was closer to my area.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 05:24 AM
 
1,636 posts, read 3,166,650 times
Reputation: 2747
MANY people are drunk. You can have open containers walking around bayshore blvd. The side streets are blocked off by cop cars. Aside from that, lots of drinking. I live in bayshore so I walked, but I can't imagine driving. Not only the awful traffic, but all those drunks trying to get out.

It's definitely an experience though. I have a good time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 07:50 AM
 
Location: Tampa, Fl
4,091 posts, read 6,016,957 times
Reputation: 3415
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmw36 View Post
MANY people are drunk. You can have open containers walking around bayshore blvd. The side streets are blocked off by cop cars. Aside from that, lots of drinking. I live in bayshore so I walked, but I can't imagine driving. Not only the awful traffic, but all those drunks trying to get out.
^Extremely exaggerated.

Here's a video with almost the whole parade. Skip the first ten minutes if you'd like.

http://youtu.be/58o0RFeP_88
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 11:14 AM
 
Location: Greater Orlampa CSA
5,025 posts, read 5,677,344 times
Reputation: 3950
Huh, at least on the other side, it looks a little less crowded. I suppose I could always do brunch somewhere in Ybor and take the streetcar most of the way over, if parking did happen to be an issue. Is there a separate parade area with seating? Even if you would have to pay a nominal fee for it? Thanks for sharing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 06:04 PM
 
670 posts, read 1,278,185 times
Reputation: 453
Don't be afraid. Get out and experience it for yourself.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-04-2015, 10:29 PM
 
Location: Tampa, Fl
4,091 posts, read 6,016,957 times
Reputation: 3415
Quote:
Originally Posted by clevelander1991 View Post
Huh, at least on the other side, it looks a little less crowded. I suppose I could always do brunch somewhere in Ybor and take the streetcar most of the way over, if parking did happen to be an issue. Is there a separate parade area with seating? Even if you would have to pay a nominal fee for it? Thanks for sharing.
That side that looks empty is the paid side (thus it looking so empty). Ybor and street car is a good option to get you to the parade. The knight parade is February 14 if you want to experience Gasparilla this year.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-05-2015, 08:57 AM
 
Location: Greater Orlampa CSA
5,025 posts, read 5,677,344 times
Reputation: 3950
Thanks! Perhaps I will have to check that out!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-05-2015, 09:24 AM
 
Location: Terra
2,826 posts, read 3,992,967 times
Reputation: 3374
DO NOT go to the Knight Parade if you are trying to avoid crazy/drunk.

I repeat, DO NOT go. It is 11ty billion times more crazy/drunk, with stabbings happening almost every year. Sometimes shootings.

The Knight Parade is the young/ghetto version of the day parade.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 02-05-2015, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Tampa, Fl
4,091 posts, read 6,016,957 times
Reputation: 3415
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsun556 View Post
I repeat, DO NOT go. It is 11ty billion times more crazy/drunk, with stabbings happening almost every year. Sometimes shootings.
It is no worse than Mardi Gras, and the worst that happened last year (according to Google) is a woman who was shot in the thigh after the parade had ended. This is nothing more than a scare tactic. Outside of that, it was one person in a crowd of something like 300,000. However, drunks on the road are no joke. After the parade, I suggest finding a nice meal in Ybor, maybe checking out the scenery, and keeping off of the road for a good hour and a half.

Woman shot, injured after Gasparilla parade - WFLA News Channel 8
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Tampa Bay
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:06 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top