We’re known as the Big Guava even though we’re not the best spot in Florida to grow the beefy pink fruit. Are you really surprised Ybor City used to host a signature event called Guavaween?
The very first Guavaween was an “Ybor City Chamber of Commerce-backed fundraiser for a local theater company” themed around our moniker “The Big Guava,” according to Bay News 9.
What was it like?
There was a parade — The Mama Guava Stumble Parade — down the brick streets led by Mama Guava i.e. a local actress outfitted like a “1980s version of Carmen Miranda resplendent in a green, guava-studded leotard,” according to Cigar City Magazine.
As the years passed, the late October party swelled to massive proportions, with the parade and ensuing festivities drawing in as many as 80,000 costumed-people, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
What happened to the tradition?
The celebration tapered off into the 2000s. First the admission price spiked, then the parade dropped off in 2012, then the event was rebranded as the March of the Pumpkin King. Guavaween officially died out in 2018, according to Bay News 9.
On a related note: My one-woman campaign to bring back Guavaween starts now.
