Parking & Transportation Guide for Gasparilla Festival of the Arts

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.

Parking maps and other parking and transportation options are coming soon!

Gasparilla Festival of the Arts 2024. Photo by Will Staples.

Vehicle Parking

Near the Park

Howard W. Blake High School. Parking is available at Blake High School, just north of Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. Cost: $15. All proceeds support the Blake High School Booster Club.

Free Street Parking
Our new location at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park is adjacent to free street parking just west of the park, which is shown on the map on this page.

Accessible Parking
Visitors with accessible parking tags can park in the North and South Lots on a first-come, first-served base.

Walkable Parking

There are several parking locations that may be walkable for many that attend:

P: “Street Parking”/Doyle Carlton Dr.:
.2 miles, approximately a 5 minute walk.

P: Barrymore Hotel:
.3 miles, approximately a 7 minute walk.

P: Royal Street Regional Lot:
.5 miles, approximately a 10 minute walk.

Garage Parking

Public parking is available at the following downtown garage locations and in various private parking lots within Downtown Tampa. Please note that GFA is not responsible for the pricing each public garage and lot charges.

P: Poe Garage (free shuttle location)
The flat rate for pre-paid event parking rate in the Poe Garage is set at $10 by the City of Tampa.

P: Rivergate Tower Garage (free shuttle location)

P: Ft. Brooke Garage (water taxi stop nearby)

For even more parking info, check out The City of Tampa Downtown Partnership website

DASH Tampa Ride Service.

DASH (Downtown Area Shared Hubs) is a hub to hub transit service. Rides are requested through an app and cost $2 per person. Visit the Tampa Downtown Partnership DASH Website for more information and to download the APP.

Additional Transportation Options

Free Shuttles

We will have three free shuttles running every 15 minutes throughout festival weekend. One of the shuttles is wheelchair accessible. There are two shuttle stops with 3 convenient parking locations.

Poe Garage: Shuttle Stop at 120 W. GaspariIla Plaza

Rivergate Tower Garage: Shuttle Stop at 400 N. Ashley Dr.

TECO North Lot: Cross N. Ashley Dr. to 120 W. GaspariIla Plaza

Thank you to Sponsor:
Jessica Fernandez, Attorney logo
Pirate Water Taxi

Water Taxi

The Ft. Brooke Garage is located .2 miles from a Pirate Water Taxi stop at MacDill Park on the Riverwalk. This is an approximately 5 minute walk.

For more information about the Pirate Water Taxi, its schedules and rates, visit https://piratewatertaxi.com/.

Bike Valet

Bike Valet

Bicycle valet is available and is provided by The Tampa Police Department and Two Wheel Valet.

For more information, visit: www.twowheelvalet.com

Thank you to Sponsors
Sheila Seig & John Mullen
HART bus routes

Public Transportation

Review the HART Downtown Network Map for details on how to utilize public transportation to get to the Park. 

Click here to download a PDF of HART’s bus routes.

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.