NOTE: This festival has been postponed from February 24-25, 2023 to a yet to be announced date in 2023
So you want to feel good about feeling good at a music festival? You’ve met your match in downtown Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival, a three day multi-genre fest doubling as a non-profit organization that provides access to musical education and instruments for underserved children. Their motto? Fittingly — “feel good music.”
Gasparilla Music Festival is the type that you can drag all your friends (and their kids) to who’ve got wildly different music tastes. While the 2023 lineup has yet to be announced, fans of indie rock, soul, blues, hip hop, or electronic will likely find something they can vibe with. Past stages were graced by indie rock giants Modest Mouse and Band of Horses, soul and blue favorites like Erykah Badu and Gary Clark, Jr., hip hop acts like Nas and De La Soul and electronic music’s newest obsession, duo Sofi Tukker.
The festival’s non-profit organization, the Gasparilla Music Foundation, makes the event especially kid-friendly. Their Recycled Tunes Program gives students the opportunity to perform on festival stages, and a “Kid’s Fest” section has its own lineup with acts like Disney Plus stars The Imagination Movers and separate activities for kids, like a table for tie-dying.
Gasparilla is typically held at Curtis Hixton Waterfront Park and Kiley Gardens Park in February, but, due to structural issues, the event has been postponed and will likely relocate to Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. Festival staff have not announced the new date, but say they “remain optimistic” that it will happen in 2023.
The Specs
- In past years, more than 70,000 people were expected to attend Gasparilla Music Festival over the course of three days.
- Last year, general admission advance tickets per day cost $45, two day passes cost $70 and for the whole weekend, $95. Tickets for 2023 are not for sale yet.
- While you’re at it, check out this guide to the best things to do in Tampa.
