A handful of days a year, the water is the only place to be in Tampa. Gasparilla, the 4th of July, the Christmas boat parade: on those dates the shoreline is packed and the view everyone actually wants is from a boat. We run private charters on all of them.
These are fixed dates, which makes them the fastest bookings we take all year. Everything else about the day is the same as a standard charter: your own boat, a licensed captain, and an itinerary built around your group.
Events We Run Charters For
Each one has its own guide with the route, the timing and what to expect:
Gasparilla Parade: The biggest day on the Tampa Bay calendar and the one that books first. The Parade of Pirates comes down Bayshore Boulevard and into Downtown, and watching the invasion from the water beats any spot on land. We run 4-hour charters along the parade route from the Davis Island boat ramp.
Fourth of July: Fireworks over the bay with no crowd to fight and no parking to find. Anchor out, watch the show from the deck, and head back when you feel like it rather than when the traffic clears.
Christmas Boat Parade: Lit-up boats running the Tampa waterfront in December. This one is more sunset cruise than party, and it suits families and mixed-age groups as well as anything we do all year.
St. Patrick’s Day: Tampa dyes the Hillsborough River green for River O’ Green. Cruising the dyed river beats standing on the Riverwalk looking at it.
Memorial Day: The unofficial start of summer, and one of the busiest weekends on the water. A private boat is how you escape the crowd rather than join it.
Labor Day Weekend: The last long weekend of the season, and the send-off most groups want before the summer ends.
When to Book
This is the part that matters most on this page. Every date here is fixed, so unlike a normal weekend there is no moving it a week later if we are full.
- Gasparilla: four to six months ahead. This is the date we sell out earliest by a wide margin, so book it before the new year rather than in January.
- Fourth of July: also goes early. Do not leave this one to June.
- Christmas boat parade and St. Patrick’s Day: a few weeks is usually enough, sooner if your group is large.
- Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends: busy, but there is more flexibility because the whole weekend works, not one specific evening.
If you have more than twelve guests, start earlier still. A two-boat charter needs the second boat free on the same date, and on these dates that is the part that runs out.
What an Event Charter Includes
The same as any other private charter with us. Twelve guests per boat under U.S. Coast Guard rules, a licensed and insured captain, a premium sound system, coolers with ice, water and towels. Every trip is BYOB and we do not provide food, so bring what your group wants.
Charter lengths run the same too. Most event days work best as a 4-hour or 6-hour charter, and add-ons are available on any of them.
Weather is the one thing no date can promise. The captain always makes the final call, and if we cancel for weather you are refunded in full.
Celebrating Something Else?
These are the fixed dates on the calendar. If you are planning a bachelor or bachelorette party, a birthday, a proposal or a company outing, those are not tied to a date and live on our occasions page instead.
Ready to Get Started?
Book Online
Reserve your date and charter length through our booking system.
Call to Check a Date
Speak with our team if the date you want is close, or if your group needs two boats.
Before booking, you may also want to review:
- Our Services page to compare charter lengths
- Our Pickup Locations page, which matters more than usual on event days
Event dates sell out well before ordinary weekends do. If you know the date, get it on the books.