Gasparilla guide to parking, rideshare, & public transit
TAMPA, Fla. - Getting around downtown Tampa could be challenging during the Gasparilla Pirate Invasion and Parade Saturday.
The city of Tampa has provided resources to help parade goers get around, whether they're driving, taking a rideshare, or public transit.
Below is your comprehensive guide to traveling to, from, and around downtown Tampa Saturday, January 29.
For more information, visit tampa.gov/special-events-coordination/gasparilla-parades-2022-information.
MORE: Locals, businesses and pirates ready for return of Gasparilla parade
Parking
The following links to parking information are from the City of Tampa's website. View the full page of parking information at tampa.gov/special-events-coordination/gasparilla-parades-2022-information.
Parking and traffic changes are effective Saturday, January 29, 2022 2-6 p.m.
Parking Downtown:
Prepaid parking is highly recommended. Visit https://tampa.pmreserve.com/ to purchase guaranteed parade parking. Prepaid and day-of parking locations:
- Tampa Convention Center Garage (Tampa St. & Brorein St.) open 24/7 - at a rate of $15 per vehicle upon entry.
- Ft. Brooke Garage (Whiting St. between Franklin St. & Florida Ave.) will open at 7:00 a.m. at a rate of $15 per vehicle entry.
- Poe Garage (Ashley St., south of Cass St.) open 24/7 - at a rate of $15 per vehicle upon entry. Due to the parade route, this garage will close from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Customers will not be able to enter or exit this garage until after 6:00 p.m.
- Twiggs St. Garage (Twiggs St., west of Nebraska Ave.) open 24/7 – standard hourly rate with a $9 maximum.
- Centro Ybor Garage (5th Ave. and 15th St.) open 24/7 - standard hourly rate with a $9.00 maximum.
- Palm Ave Garage (13th St. and 9th Ave.) open 24/7 - standard hourly rate with a $9.00 maximum.
- Royal Regional Lot (Tampa St. & Fortune St.) will be open at 7:00 a.m. at a rate of $10 per vehicle.
- Scott Street Lot (Morgan St. and Scott St.) will be open at 7:00 a.m. at a rate of $5 per vehicle.
On-Street Meters will be enforced from 8:00 a.m. until midnight.
An interactive parking map is available at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/c36636cfcabf47edb27fe8813931e846?item=2.
Below is a map and text version of the city of Tampa's road closures and detours. The document is also available at https://static.fox13news.com/www.fox13news.com/content/uploads/2022/01/Gasparilla-Road-Closures-Map-Text-Courtesy-City-of-Tampa.pdf.
Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
For those using rideshares like Uber and Lyft, there are designated pickup and drop off locations around Tampa. The map below shows pickup locations. The map may also be accessed at https://static.fox13news.com/www.fox13news.com/content/uploads/2022/01/Rideshare-pickup-drop-off-uber-lyft-gasparilla.pdf.
Bus & trolley services
Getting to and from Gasparilla festivities can be challenging for drivers. That's why the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) is making its routes pirate-friendly Saturday for the parade.
HART will operate extra streetcar and bus service to accommodate parade-goers on Saturday, January 29.
The TECO Line Streetcar System is free and continuous streetcar service will be available from 8:30 a.m. Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday.
HART says the best place to park is at Ybor City's Station #2 (Centro Ybor),
Note: Stations #3 and #4 will be closed from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Stations #1 and #11 will be closed all day.
There will be a free bus shuttle between Station #3 (Streetcar Society Station) and Station #4 (Cadrecha Station) and downtown Tampa (Station #10 - Dick Greco Plaza) continuously from 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
For HART bus services, an all-day pass is $4, which may be purchased in advance at HART retail outlets or onboard buses on Gasparilla Day with cash (no change provided) or via the Flamingo Fares app. Passengers may also use their monthly bus pass. This fare does not cover city of Tampa parking fees.
For parking at the Port Authority Parking Garage, HART will be providing free bus shuttle service to/from Station #10 (Dick Greco Plaza) continuously from 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
For more information, including route maps, visit www.goHART.org.