Tampa, Florida kicked off the annual Gasparilla Pirate Festival on January 25, with pirates invading the city in full costume after sailing into port on a ship. Beginning in 1904, the event is a celebration of mythical pirate José Gaspar, who supposedly had a 'pirate kingdom' in southwest Florida, from which he sailed through the Gulf of Mexico from 1783 to 1821. Florida folklore says his treasure is still hidden.