Pirate Gathering weekend to come to St. A

By Stephanie Seltzer | gargoyle@flagler.edu

On Nov. 12 through the 14, don’t be alarmed if you see men in pirate hats wandering through the city, crowding your favorite restaurants with their treasure maps in hand.

This year, a Pirate Gathering event will be held at the St. Frances Field and the Plaza in downtown St. Augustine. The Pirate Gathering welcomes anyone who has a passion for speaking in ayes and loves to dress up in corsets and tall boots.

On Friday from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., the Plaza will open up for a full historical exhibit. There will be live demonstrations with authentic characters. It is only $2 for adults and children.

At 7 p.m., if you are 21 and older, the pirates welcome you to a pub crawl. Meet them at the Drop Anchor Tavern on the St. Frances Field under the big tent. You are encouraged to come in full pirate costume to get into character and experience one of the many joys that pirates are known for. The crawl will last until 11 p.m.

On Saturday, the festivities for the public begin at 11 a.m. There will be a “Privateer Parade,” which will have the pirates and their best mates travel the streets by boat. Then at 12:15 p.m. by the bayfront, there will be a battle at sea with all the visiting pirate ships. Next, at around 12:30 p.m., there will be a land battle on Orange Street, right near the cemetery.

Starting at 1:30 p.m., at only $2 a person, there will be live entertainment, costume contests, weapons display and a market on the field, so every pirate can leave with a piece of treasure. The event will end at 8 p.m.

On Sunday all the pirates will be brought to justice for all the trouble they caused in St. Augustine with time in court located on the field. This event is held at 10:30 a.m.  At 2:30 p.m., there will be another sea battle in front of the Fort.

The events calendar is ever changing so keep your eyes open.

For more information visit PirateGathering.com.