florida

[PLUNDERING PYLOS PARKER]

if you were travling to florida and wanted to attend 2 different pirate faires, but could only due 1 or the other, which would it be and why, here is the choice, key west pirates in paradise or the saint augustine pirate faire next to the san marcos fort.

[Animal]

Hmmm, that is a tough one. While I've not been to the St. Augustine event, I hear from others that it is great. On the other side, I love Pirates In Paradise and highly recommend it. Tough choice and good question. Others who have been to both might chime in here.

[Cannibal Chrispy]

I would have to choose FTPI/PIP because they are 2 events in one.

[hurricane]

I have to go with Crispy and Animal. FTPI/PiP offers the best of all worlds - a place to re-enact, a place to play and a place to party. Can't really beat Key West for pirootin'.

That said, it depends on what your interests are. For historical representation, you can't beat St. A and it's the only venue that lets you shoot in the streets in a roaming battle. The camping at both are similar, though the standards for St. A are more strict in terms of period. The FTPI is buccaneer to wrecker, while Searle's is strictly buccaneer.

On the FTPI/PiP side, you can have a longer vacation in Florida since the PiP festival is 10 days and the invasion is the last three days of that week. So you can enjoy pirating activities and events during a longer stay, if you have the time and coin.

But, if you only had one to choose, it's Key West.

And I won't even get into the less historical ones, Stuart, John Levique, Ft. Myers and the Pirate Gathering.

[willie wobble]

the st arr gustine event in november you are not allowed to live fire in the streets like the other events. while there is a historical encampment in the demesa yard it is a very fun event but not as historical as the 1668 Searles raid on the town march 3-6 or sir francis Drake's raid june 3-6 where we do the battle down st George st to the plaza.

while I do many events in St Augustine and love the old town you can't beat PIP in key west.but it would be great to have you down for either event or both

look at some of the web sites and depending on the time of year you are down here and your intrests in history or pyrating

[PLUNDERING PYLOS PARKER]

FTPI what does that mean? my dilema is i have family in tampa florida, i come out for thanksgiving every year for a week, then i do a cruise for a week, to the caribbean to several different areas with royal caribbean or carnival cruises. i need to make up my mind weather its st. augustine or PIP. st augustine is usually the week before thanksgiving and PIP is roughly a week after, i will be taking 3 weeks off during this time cant make up my mind which event has more to do. i live out west and do alot of pirate faires there. i am looking for a primitive event but more things going on than just an encampment and shooting/ traders and trade sutlers selling period wares is what i like seeing which has better traders? which has better entertainment? i am thinking on PIP , but want more feed back. also what happend to the st petersburg pirate faire, i know not real primitive faire but was fun. i was in florida for thanksgiving never found out what happend to this event this year.

[William Brand]

Fort Taylor Pirate Invasion. At FTPI you can camp within the walls of Fort Taylor in canvas tents surrounded by pirates. It runs congruently with Pirates in Paradise and both events run side by side. You can be a part of battles, cannon fire, encampments, swordplay and the like.

It may help your decision to read the observations of our own Mission as he records them in the Surgeon's Journal. He records his experiences from numerous visits to Pirates in Paradise.

http://www.markck.com/Pirate_Surgeons_Journal.htm#The%20Surgeon's%20Journals

[hurricane]

FTPI what does that mean? my dilema is i have family in tampa florida, i come out for thanksgiving every year for a week, then i do a cruise for a week, to the caribbean to several different areas with royal caribbean or carnival cruises. i need to make up my mind weather its st. augustine or PIP. st augustine is usually the week before thanksgiving and PIP is roughly a week after, i will be taking 3 weeks off during this time cant make up my mind which event has more to do. i live out west and do alot of pirate faires there. i am looking for a primitive event but more things going on than just an encampment and shooting/ traders and trade sutlers selling period wares is what i like seeing which has better traders? which has better entertainment? i am thinking on PIP , but want more feed back. also what happend to the st petersburg pirate faire, i know not real primitive faire but was fun. i was in florida for thanksgiving never found out what happend to this event this year.

Searles - the real fun battle in St. Augustine is in March. The Pirate Gathering is held in November, but it's not primarily historical - it's for every interpretation and there is a nice encampment there that is period. FTPI, the Fort Taylor Pirate Invasion, is set in the fort and has period traders and daily battles. It has the added benefit of having the Pirates in Paradise Festival (which celebrates the rich maritime history of the city, from the historical to the hysterical), is adjacent to it along the Truman Annex waterfront. So, you can enjoy the period play, participate in all sorts of other cultural events and activities at PiP (which extends from the weekend after Thanksgiving through the first weekend in December) and party your guts our along Duval St along with the rest of your fellow mates. I love the Pirate Gathering, but the combined events make Key West the choice event. Last year I believe there were pirates from 25 states and three different countries there.

[PLUNDERING PYLOS PARKER]

sounds like i will be in key west for the festival, so the fort invasion is actualy a different group than pip, and pip is more around duval area. i've been to key west several times, just not for the pirate festivals. i have stayed at the PALMS HOTEL @ 820 white street, bed and breakfeast. is this to far from the fort festivals, are there closer hotels centraly located between duval and the fort? i would like to set up my pavillion in the fort, but travlin by airplane space is limited. if i come to pip and the fort can i brang my weapons including my baldric of flintlock pistols and walk around? does the city care if ya walk duval street with flintlocks, i was considering renting scooters and riding them with full dress is that allowed down there.

[Quartermaster James]

the st arr gustine event in november you are not allowed to live fire in the streets like the other events.

What!?!?

Live fire in the streets!?!?

Surely you mean blank loads, no?

[willie wobble]

correct master James blank load,flintlock, matchlock, and cannons

[Cannibal Chrispy]

I have been walking (and scootering) around key west armed to the teeth (flinlocks, swords, knives, blunderbuss) for 5 yrs and never had a problem.

Edited December 30, 2010 by Chrispy

[hurricane]

sounds like i will be in key west for the festival, so the fort invasion is actualy a different group than pip, and pip is more around duval area. i've been to key west several times, just not for the pirate festivals. i have stayed at the PALMS HOTEL @ 820 white street, bed and breakfeast. is this to far from the fort festivals, are there closer hotels centraly located between duval and the fort? i would like to set up my pavillion in the fort, but travlin by airplane space is limited. if i come to pip and the fort can i brang my weapons including my baldric of flintlock pistols and walk around? does the city care if ya walk duval street with flintlocks, i was considering renting scooters and riding them with full dress is that allowed down there.

Both events are in proximity to one another. After going through the Truman Annex on Southard, PiP is on the right near the historic warships. To the left is the road to the fort, which is a good walk, but hopefully there will be a shuttle in the future between the two places. Some people move between the two events, some don't. The beauty of Key West and FTPI and PiP -- it's all good. People can do pretty much as they please, including riding scooters around as pirates. The only thing you don't want to do too much down there is pull your sword out in public. Otherwise, dripping in weapons is pretty normal at both venues and on Duval.

The only housing in close proximity to the fort and Truman Annex waterfront is the Truman Annex. You could ask Mission more about that. Most of the hotels are either on Duval or on the side away from the fort. That said, many of the re-enactor camps have extra tent space if you speak up early and often. Someone seems to always be willing to take a new pirate in.

[D B Couper]

I have been walking (and scootering) around key west armed to the teeth (flinlocks, swords, knives, blunderbuss) for 5 yrs and never had a problem.

...never had a problem other than you being blind and driving a golf cart in the parade.

[D B Couper]

I would say that if you had to choose between the Pirates in Paradise / Fort Taylor Pirate Invasion in Key West or Searl's and/or Drakes Raid in St Augustine,

Key West would be the longer of the two, and therefore, more chances to have fun. Where else can you live inside a civil war fort, cook over an open fire,

crash a parade in a Model A Ford....

[PLUNDERING PYLOS PARKER]

hurricane - i do enjoy the encampment and sociallife at night at rendezvous and pirate faires, but if i were alone for ftpi / pip 2011, finding a space with another mates hospitality would be great, although bed and breakfest, hot tub , queen bed and a "shower" relaxing and being on vacation and enjoying the lazy life and relaxing in key west, getting out of garb is neccessary when on a vacation with a fiance, have best of both worlds for several days atleast. looking forward to next years key west pirate doings. thank you .