Bring out the pirate hats,  Mardi-Gras beads and your old cut-off shorts. The Tybee Island Pirate Festival kicks off this weekend, with all the hokey fun and pirate antics you can stomach.

The fifth-annual event features an array of activities for kids and adults, including:

Friday Oct. 9, South Beach Parking Lot

-  A Thieves Market from 5-11 p.m. Lots of trinkets, loot and other pirate treasures to buy.

- Fireworks  starting at 7:30 p.m

- Local bands

-  Little Matey’s Cove activities for kids, including a magic show, balloon making and more.

Saturday, Oct. 10, South Beach Parking Lot

- Thieves Market from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.

- Bunch of kids activities, including face painting a puppet show, petting zoo and more.

- More Bands

But what we’ve always found truly enjoyable is the Pirate’s Victory Parade (scheduled for 3 p.m. on Saturday on Bulter). If you ever wanted to vicariously experience the thrill of being a pirate welcomed home by adoring fans, than this is the parade to attend.

Just grab your sword, and watch area residents donning pirate garb (or even their cut-off shorts) drive down Butler in Pirate Boat floats that range from ramshackle to reasonably clever.

It’s campy. It’s short (lasting about a half hour). And it’s a bit of a cliche. But it’s a wonderful family activity,  and only 20 minutes by car from your downtown Savannah vacation rental.

For more information, visit Tybee Island Pirate Fest.