Galveston Pirate Festival

A week-long, family-friendly pirate event spread across multiple locations on Galveston Island, with free activities earlier in the week and a main one-day festival at Moody Gardens. Programming draws on the island's pirate lore and includes live bands, a vendor market, costume contest, treasure hunt, blacksmith demonstrations, juggling, contortion and aerial mermaid performances, fire and sword dancing. Other ticketed experiences include downtown pub crawls, a guided pirate history walking tour, and tours of the 1877 tall ship Elissa with a harbor cruise. A kids zone offers games, face painting, balloon art and a magician.