Pirates from Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla carried out another successful invasion of Tampa on Saturday despite the wind and rain.

For more than a century, Tampa has celebrated the Gasparilla Pirate Fest, during which pirates invade and steal the key to the city from the mayor. It culminates in a parade along Bayshore Boulevard, where spectators clamor for beaded necklaces and day drink with their friends.

But this year, Tampa Bay was experiencing its coldest weather of the season. The region was under a wind advisory, and Tampa Bay’s waters were under a gale warning. Gusts threatened to reach up to 50 miles per hour and offshore seas up to 16 feet high.

In response to the blustery conditions, Gasparilla organizers changed the departure location of the Jose Gasparilla II ship, which leads a flotilla of vessels to the city’s convention center.

“This is not the weekend to be on your small boat,” said Austen Flannery, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office.

Tampa expected more than 300,000 people to attend Gasparilla festivities. Saturday morning started off in the 50s and only got colder and windier throughout the day — but thousands of people still gathered to celebrate.

“It’s the best day of the year,” said Greg Gutierrez, who placed beads on a giant skeleton in his yard Saturday morning.

Some chose to bundle up, layering coats and scarves over red and black pirate garb. Other revelers rebelled against the cold, wearing shorts, skirts and unbuttoned shirts.

Nicole and Ava Marchese traveled from Lake George, New York to attend their first Gasparilla. By mid-afternoon, they were adorned in beads.

“We left 18 inches of snow. This is warm,” Nicole Marchese said. “This is the best ever. We are coming back next year.”

The sun started to peak out in the afternoon, but the sky soon turned to rain as spectators watched the procession along Bayshore Boulevard.

Russel and Asher Holton drove up from Naples to watch the parade. They’ve made the trek many times, but this year was special because they bought seats for the first time.

“In the past we’ve just staked out a spot,” Russel Holton said. “I’m old. It was starting to hurt.”

Greg Vonderheide, 65, has watched the parade for nearly three decades in a row. Now he has a routine: He collects beads all year and arrives early to pass them out along the parade route.

“See, look how happy that made them,” he said, after his friend gifted beads to a group of people dressed as pirates. “It just makes me smile.”

Saturday’s parade was only a primer for a busy weekend in Tampa. On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lighting are set to face off with the Boston Bruins in an outdoor match, and people traveled to town to attend both.

Some also took advantage of the Gasparilla celebration to raise awareness for political issues as Minneapolis remains in civil unrest. Federal agents killed two people in January after flooding the city in what the government has called a mission to crack down on immigration.

Volunteers with the Hispanic Services Council set up a tent to fundraise for programs that help Latino parents and community members.

“The immigrant community wants nothing less than other people in this country: upward mobility and the opportunity to raise our children in a clean and safe environment,” said Roberto Torres, board chair for the council.

And Gasparilla regulars Ben Sperduto, 46, and Emma Quintana, 44, decided to make a statement this year.

They brought posters that said “Abolish ICE” and “Real Pirates Hate Fascism.” Some people stopped to take pictures. Others heckled.

“We needed to come and say something,” Sperduto said. “We felt weird ignoring what is going on in Minnesota and the rest of the country.”

Times reporter Michaela Mulligan contributed to this report.