Gasparilla Festival of the Arts Event Overview

Welcome to one of America’s most prestigious fine arts and fine craft shows.

For half a century, artists and art lovers from all parts of the country migrated annually to the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, where the country’s most accomplished artists and rising stars vie for nearly $100,000 in prize money and scholarships, including the $15,000 Raymond James Best of Show Award.

The March 2025 Festival will showcase artists and their work to include ceramic, digital, drawing, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, watercolor and wood. This event will also feature the works of local young artists and a weekend full of live entertainment.

Congratulations to Ashli Harper whose image The Fight is the official image of the 55th Annual Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts.

Time & Place

55th Annual Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts

Saturday, March 1, 2025,
9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, March 2, 2025,
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park
Downtown Tampa

Admission

FREE!

Estimated Attendance

30,000

Estimated Prizes

$92,000

Facilities

Detailed information regarding festival amenities is coming soon.

Information

Got questions? We have answers. Stop by the information booth at the south end of the Festival, near Tampa Prep.

Merchandise

Get a T-shirt, poster or other festival gear at the merchandise tent. The tent is located in the northwest quadrant of the festival grounds, just west of the main show artist booths.

Water

Water and other beverages are available from the festival's food vendors and food trucks. A hydration station is also available.

Food & Beverage

Food trucks are located on the north side of the festival grounds, south of the basketball courts. The food court with picnic tables is located at the south side of the festival grounds. Beer and wine are available for purchase near the VIP tent just west of the River Center and near the food trucks and food court.

Restrooms

Restrooms and hand washing stations are located at the south side of the festival grounds near the food court. Additional port-o-lets are located in the Northwest corner of the festival grounds near the ball court and in the Southwest corner west of the south parking lot.

Parking & Transportation

Whether by car, water taxi, public transportation, ride sharing or bike, there are plenty of options to get to the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts! Our location at Julian B. Lane Riverfront park offers several nearby parking options.

Activities for Everyone

Festival Gear

Visit the information/merchandise tent and take home a T-shirt, poster or other collectible item to remember your day!

Artist Galleries

Explore the work of our 250+ GFA 2025 artists. Don't miss our Local Artist Spotlight, Emerging Artists or our Remote Studio Artists!

Arts for Kids

Visit our Children's Activity tent, Art Collectors in Training and Children's Stage and support artists and art collectors in the making.

Live Entertainment

Check out our Main and Children's stages for musical and other performances throughout the festival.

Interactive Experiences

Watch art being made. Talk to an artist. Get your hands dirty. Make some memories!

Community Outreach Village

It takes a village to build a community that supports the arts. Meet some of our partners in this mission, and view the work of differently-abled artists and student artists.

Ticketed Events

Elevate your Festival experience with tickets to our VIP Tent + Artist Awards Showcase.

Blanket Approval

Blanket Approval is a 4-piece indie rock band from New York City. They formed in 2021 when lead singer Jack Matteucci took a collection of demos recorded in the basement of his physics lab, moved to Brooklyn, and met drummer/singer Joey Hadden. The two were later joined by bassist Max Mena and keyboardist/guitarist/singer Rahul Chakraborty.  The group has played dozens of shows around New York City and the Northeast, from Burlington to Baltimore. They’ve released 10 singles to date, blending hard rock with tight melodies and groovy bass lines; drawing from influences like Portugal. The Man and Franz Ferdinand.

The Savants

The Savants are a nine piece southern soul group from Gainesville, FL. They perform original soul music inspired by the Muscle Shoals Sound as well as the iconic and legendary music that came out of labels like Stax Records and Atlantic Records during the 1960s & 1970s.

Formed in 2011 in Gainesville, FL, the group has undergone several personal changes over the years but settled into its current lineup around 2020.

The band has made its presence felt around the southeast, notably playing Red Gorilla at SXSW in 2017, Suwannee Hulaween in 2016 and Changeville in its hometown in 2018 and 2016. Along the way they have been featured alongside groups such as; Gary Clark Jr., Durand Jones and the Indications, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Kendra Morris, Charles Bradley and His Extraordinares, George Porter Jr of the Meters, The Original Wailers, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Postmodern Jukebox and more.

TV Breakup Scene

Tv Breakup Scene is an indie pop punk band from Tampa, FL inspired by Paramore with a gaze-y twist. After a year of writing they finally made their debut with their new release Troubled Mind!

Nick Ewing

Music’s ability to release energy within us is overwhelming. Capturing moments of emotion and expression to elicit that reaction is such a joyful honor. It’s allowed me to connect, create, and cultivate so many beautiful experiences. Let this be with you… Cheers!

Mia Marlene

Danish-American, California-born, and Florida-raised multi-instrumentalist Mia Marlene offers a vibrant sonic world through her indie pop music, which is infused with hues of 1980’s synth pop and lush, captivating melodies. Her self-produced debut album, “good for my art,”  features songs about living abroad, creative aspirations, and terrible exes (because, well, you know).

Mia Marlene’s music is anchored in her many experiences living in London, Copenhagen, Colorado, and Washington D.C.; places that shaped her sonic vision and imprinted onto her the wealth of the human experience, and how all of these experiences can serve as creative fuel for songwriting and music-making.

Prizilla

PRIZILLA is a pop-soul whirlwind, where horns wail, melodies sparkle, and every beat feels like an invitation. With a microphone in one hand and a saxophone in the other, she leads her band through a kaleidoscope of pop, funk, and soul, crafting music that’s as bold as it is unforgettable. It’s a sound that dances between the playful and the profound, wrapping stories in irresistible rhythms that refuse to stand still.

 Since releasing PEOPLE PERSON, their debut EP, the band has been turning heads and moving feet. With over 50,000 fans following along online, PRIZILLA has earned a reputation for live shows that are part concert, part catharsis, and entirely unmissable.

  The band has shared stages with Nick Hakim and Madison McFerrin, lit up NYC with Couch and The Retrograde, and shaken the rafters with St. Paul & the Broken Bones and Flipturn at FL Fin Fest. PRIZILLA shows no signs of stopping, proving that music isn’t just something you hear—it’s something you feel. And they feel it. This is music for anyone who craves the unexpected, the unforgettable, and the kind of energy that makes you lose track of time. Come for the sax solos; stay for the magic.

Pusha Preme

The Bronx New York-based singer-producer Pusha Preme has been making waves with his delicate blend of heartfelt melodies; Goal-oriented lyrics, and harmonies that reel you in like a fish on a hook. Above all, Pusha’s music is often praised for its high intimacy and familiar themes that find their way to a special place in the listener’s heart.

MK Blessed

Mk Blessed was born in Congo Kinshasa in Sep 18th  He is a singer/songwriter and a speaker who started writing songs at the age of 7 and taught them to His Church worship team, which enjoyed singing His songs.

He formed His first Music group at the Age of 10 and was doing secular music.

When He was 13 he fled his home country and went to a Refugee camp due to war, He lived there for 10 years and then immigrated to the USA in 2016, though He has been writing for a while Mk Blessed released His first single on Dec,  4 2021 entitled Faithful God.

MK blessed is a husband of one wife and a father of two girls, He went to Kampala High School and later attended Bible college in Uganda East Africa, He is a founder of a non profit organization named Fociom that shares love with the underprivileged of the world like himself, Mk Blessed passion is to help others.

Izzy Bradburn

Singer, songwriter, guitarist. I aim to write emotional music that addresses the world we live in and how it makes us all feel.

Boho Sideshow

This unique & unscripted collection of Sideshow characters are of various talents and backgrounds to make for a spectacle of amazing musical entertainment. Experience the anecdotal mishaps from the wild to the fantastical. Boho Sideshow comes from parts unknown, but are known for performing an exhibition of Eclectic Americana Music.

Fabiola Méndez

FABIOLA MÉNDEZ is a Puerto Rican cuatrista, singer, educator, and Emmy-nominated composer. Her artistic vision and original music focus on the exploration of her culture, her ancestry, and her identities.

Native to Caguas, PR, Fabiola began playing the cuatro, Puerto Rico’s national instrument, at the age of six. She got her early music trainings at the Antonio Paoli School of Music in Caguas and her Bachelor’s in Music from Berklee College of Music, where in 2018 she made history as the first graduate to play the Puerto Rican cuatro as principal instrument.

Fabiola’s mission has always been to share and celebrate the cuatro, folk music, and collective story-telling. In doing so, she’s had the honor of performing at venues such as the NPR Tiny Desk, Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Celebrity Series of Boston, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fred Rogers Productions, Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, among many others. She has also collaborated with many local and international artists, including the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, Totó La Momposina, Pedro Capó, Andy Montañez, Danny Rivera, Chicago Philharmonic, and the Boston Landmarks Orchestra.

Her list of recordings include: Herencia Criolla (2009), Al Otro Lado Del Charco (2019), Afrorriqueña (2021), and Flora Campesina (2024). In 2022, she produced her first
documentary “Negrura”, showcasing Afro-Latinx stories in topics around colorism and discrimination within our own communities.

In recent years, she’s had the honor of receiving recognitions such as the Quincy Jones Award, ambassador for the Puerto Rican Day Parade in NYC, the Brother Thomas Fellowship, the Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship, and the ASCAP Foundation Lucille and Jack Yellen Award 2022. She was also nominated for a Children’s and Family Emmy in the category of Outstanding Interactive Media and won the “Latin Artist of the Year 2023” by the Boston Music Awards. Her music is featured on the film Beautiful, FL (Disney+), on the tv shows Alma’s Way, Work It Out Wombats (PBS Kids), and Mecha Builders (HBO Max), as well as indie films, jingles, and TV commercials.