"Best of" Awards: Pirates Versus Steampunks at Pyrate Daze

In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, we headed down to Long Beach on Saturday for Pyrate Daze. Held aboard the Queen Mary, Pyrate Daze is a two-day event featuring music, masquerade, merchandise and even a cannon show. With the involvement of steampunk-themed band Abney Park and local performance group The League of S.T.E.A.M., though, this was more than a simple celebration of buccaneers. The pirates far outnumbered the steampunks, but the latter brought with them an element of Victorian-influenced fantasy. Both groups came armed with creativity and dressed in brilliantly detailed costumes, but we had to wonder, did one outdo the other? We came up with our own awards below.

Shannon Cottrell

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Pirates: Mic the Scallywag told us he is something between living and dead. "Does that mean you're a zombie?" I asked. "Aye, you could say that if you'd like," he answered. And so we will. With his blue-tinted skin and algae coated eyes, Mic is a fright, but one who kept us endlessly entertained.

Shannon Cottrell

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Steampunks: We heard that someday everyone will be lucky enough to have a "zombie manservant" like Zed. In addition to holding your drinks on a tray, he'll stand around with eyes rolled back in his head and bloody drool dripping out of the corner of his mouth. Zed can be trouble, though. You'll have to lead him around on a chain and, yet, he might not always follow directions.

Winner: Since both of these guys were so good at staying in character all day, we're going to have to call this a tie.

Shannon Cottrell

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Pirates: On Saturday, Queen Mary's art deco Observation Bar became the "Pirate Observation Bar." In the middle of a room packed with oversized headwear, we spotted this piece made from real skunk fur.

Shannon Cottrell

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Steampunks: Professor Jager of League of S.T.E.A.M. concocted this "Victorian iPod" number. Wind the knob at the top and a song will play courtesy of a music box inside. As a bonus, the hat provides scalp massages.

Winner: You just can't compete with Victorian iPods. Win for the steampunks.

Shannon Cottrell

​ Pirates: "You can't be a pirate if you aren't drinking," one attendee told us on our way up to the bar. Also, you can't be a pirate if you don't bring your own mug to said watering hole. The bigger, the better.

Shannon Cottrell

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Steampunks: You may not be able to say you're a pirate if you aren't drinking, but you can't be a steampunk without contraptions. This compact, scientific-looking device helps one properly prepare a glass of absinthe.

Winner: We like the look of the absinthe gizmo, but the pirates win for sheer volume of rum mugs. Few costumes were complete without one.