Tampa Activities: A Festival For Every Season

With its proximity to the ocean and abundance of warm, sunny days, Tampa is a great city for festivals. Which is exactly why you can visit just about any time of the year and be a part of one of the country’s coolest celebrations. From food to music and more, here’s a look at festivals in Tampa during every season.

Arrrrn’t you glad it’s not snowing?

Arrr, matey! Practice your pirate impression at the Gasparilla Pirate Festival.

Winter is one of the best times of year for Tampa activities. If you are looking for restaurants or cruises view this Tampa travel guide. With January’s average highs grazing 70 degrees, the weather is cooler without being so cold that you can’t enjoy an event like the Gasparilla Pirate Festival. This annual celebration, which goes back to 1904, is a pirate-themed event that boasts the third largest parade in the U.S.—only here, it’s on the water. Hundreds of people invade the Tampa Bay harbor aboard their ships for the Parade of Pirates while close to 300,000 onlookers watch the spectacle. The Gasparilla Pirate Fest Street Festival keeps the fun alive with food, live music and entertainment for all ages.

Spring into a culinary jubilee

Spring in Tampa means food festivals galore. Kicking off the season is Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival, which takes place every weekend starting at the beginning of March. This annual event is one of the biggest in the Tampa Bay area and brings wine, food and music together for nearly two months. Nosh on delicious dishes (the festival likes to change up its menu each year) while enjoying live music. Past headliners have included Goo Goo Dolls, DNCE, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Daughtry.

At the end of April, head to the Best of Tampa, an all-you-can-eat foodie extravaganza featuring more than 50 restaurants and caterers as well as wine, liquor and craft beer sampling. If that’s not enough, there’s also the Festa Italiana. This Italian festival weekend features wine sampling, a Bocce tournament, cooking competitions and dozens of vendors who serve their very best Italian eats.

It’s getting hot in here

Sure, it’s hot, but that doesn’t stop thousands of people from gathering for some of the city’s biggest festivals. One of the biggest of the summer is the Sunset Music Fest, which kicks off the season each Memorial Day. In the past, the two-day fest has featured headliners like Major Lazer, Above & Beyond, RL Grime and Zeds Dead. Another way to toast the start of the summer? Head to the Tampa Bay Margarita Music Festival, where you can sample dozens of margarita options while listening to live music (notable acts have included Barenaked Ladies, Blues Traveler and Los Lonely Boys) and cap off the night with fireworks.

Fall for BBQ and beer

What’s better than a barbecue festival? A barbeque festival that’s also a charity fundraiser! Enter Ribfest. This three-day ’cue-off boasts some of the best rib masters in the world smoking, glazing and grilling some of the tastiest ribs you’ll ever eat. Next up, the Florida Aquarium’s Annual Brews by the Bay Festival. Access to this event means delighting in an unlimited sampling of food and beer from some of Tampa’s top restaurants and craft breweries while taking in the exhibits at the aquarium.

Written by Blake Miller

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