Gasparilla Festival of the Arts

The history is rich. The traditions are timeless. And the festival is now a vital cultural asset with a well-established presence and an eye on the future. Some of the things that haven’t changed are the strong and continued support of The Tampa Museum of Art and the City of Tampa. Since its inception, Tampa Museum volunteers (now known as Friends of the Arts) have been given the right to organize the refreshment concessions. The festival has always been run by a completely volunteer board of directors and festival committee who spend many years, months and hours working to make the festival better every year. Lively entertainment has always been an integral part of the festival and for the last few years Tampa Bay-area school systems have provided young performers in addition to professionals.