TAMPA, Fla — The Gasparilla festivities kick off this weekend in Tampa with all the beads and pirate flair you can imagine.

The Children's Gasparilla parade will make its way down Bayshore Boulevard in South Tampa on Saturday afternoon. The family-friendly event also includes an air invasion, preschoolers’ stroll and pirate-technics that will light up the sky after sunset.

While many krewes see next Saturday’s Gasparilla Pirate Invasion and parade as the main event, the children’s parade isn’t kid-sized and includes roughly 125 pirate krewes, floats, marching bands and community groups.

For the Krewe of Blackbeards Revenge, the children’s parade is a chance to get their kids and grandkids involved in the Tampa tradition.

“It’s a dry parade. It’s non-alcoholic, so we all get to focus on the kids and make sure they’re having a good time,” said longtime krewe member Howie Taylor, otherwise known as Skully Bonez.

The Krewe of Blackbeards Revenge launched in 2011 and, since then, has raised roughly $400,000 for local charities. The krewe’s organizers see the Gasparilla parades as a chance to give back to their members for their support and hard work.

“Our Gasparilla parade is the giveback to our crew,” Taylor said. “It’s our party for all the hard work we’ve done in the past.”

Each year, the krewe creates a new logo and prints them on beads, pins and coins. Finding each krewe’s unique treasures is just one thing that keeps people coming back year after year.

The children’s parade participants love getting their new finds each year.

“They get excited about getting some of our beads to trade with kids from the other krewes.”

The kids aboard the Krewe of Blackbeards Revenge pirate ship float are the kids, grandkids and friends of krewe members.

The parade begins at 4 p.m. but it’s recommended you come early to grab a spot.