O.K.
"Gasparilla" is Tampa's version of Mardi Gras. There are different events involved, over a period of a couple of weeks, but the highlight is the day parade, and the loosely related "Knight" (at night) Parade."
This year, the day parade is the last Saturday in January. The "Knight" Parade follows two Saturdays later.
Tampa pretty much goes into the "party pirate" mode around noon on Friday. Friday nights can be a lot of fun, but you gotta pace yourself and save some energy for Saturday. College students will be drunk before the parade starts at 1:00 or 1:30.
That makes it "interesting" for the pirate "krewes" who distribute beads along the parade route. Then, in the evening, the hottest spot is historic Ybor City (kind of an "old" Tampa...the cigar making district of days gone by). There are some other pockets of "party areas" (Channelside, SoHo, Hyde park, etc.), but Ybor is the place to be for drunken debauchery.
Pirates from the "Krewes" become the center of attention to earn beads, as do others who come prepared with "high end" beads.
It is fun. The woman who was "Hot_Mom" at the time wore a pink mesh "top" (seen in a couple of her pictures) that largely went unnoticed. It is a great venue for women to shed some inhibitions and wear mesh, see-through, etc. Then, there are plenty of this type: