Photos by Rachel Barnhart
Written by Rummel Medina
Video by Rodrigo Niño
Ahoy mateys! Oct. 8-11 saw the 11th annual, ever so popular Tybee Island Pirate Festival. But fear not, rather than rummaging and pillaging this festival is meant to celebrate the wonders and luxuries of pirate life with shopping, parades and performances.
Since 2005 the volunteers from Tybee Island have organized one of the city’s largest events. Bringing in people from all over to take part in the festivities which included carrousel rides, a ferris wheel and live music from Big Engine and Junior Marvin’s Wailers.
“The parade is the best part,” said Savannah local and three time attendee, Leah Miles. “We get together weeks in advance and start building these crazy pirate ship floats.”
The parade features local families, businesses and even city government candidates dressed in pirate garb while riding on their own homemade pirate ships throughout the island.
“People are very intense about it,” said second-year SCAD student Callan Harrison attending her very first Pirate Festival this year. “They go all out on these costumes, it’s weird, but cool at the same time,” said Harrison.
“The kids love it! But I think the grown-ups like it even more. We get to dress up and act like pirates all day, who wouldn’t love that?” said Miles, who was dressed hat-to-boot in her own pirate costume. Even if you come unprepared, there’s plenty of pirate gear to be found. Local shops bust out every pirate-themed item from T-shirts to shoulder parrots and if you’re lucky a passing ship from the parade will toss out beads or pirate hats.
The amount of dedication put in by the attendees does not go unnoticed. Every costume is intricately put together and every pirate ship is crafted with precise detail.
This year’s festival brought together local scallywags from all ages and they plan to do so ‘till the scurvy gets ‘em. After going out with a literal bang of fireworks, you can expect to see more ruffians of the seven seas next year during Columbus Day Weekend.
