Warm Weather, Hot Music Greet You at Gasparilla Music Festival This Weekend
The Gasparilla Music Festival returns to Curtis Hixon Park and Kiley Gardens Park in Tampa for its eighth iteration this Saturday and Sunday, March 9 & 10. It comes back stronger than ever with music on three primary stages and several small ones. The festival is presented by Cigar City Brewing, with dozens of other sponsors as well.
And once again, the Gasparilla Music Foundation has its main focus on the community:
As part of its mission to support and promote music and education, the organization is involved throughout the year in several initiatives including providing scholarships and instruments to music students.
There will be dozens of Tampa’s finest food and beverage vendors for the hungry and thirsty and numerous merchants of all sorts on the perimeters. There is a children’s area, with Kiddo Disco Saturday with DJ Kitty and Pete Pelican, and music Sunday on the Glazer Children’s Museum Stage.
SATURDAY
Heavy hitters will jam up the Curtis Hixon Stage all day, starting with J’nelle and closing the night with The Avett Brothers. In between, you’ll hear Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Toro y Moi, White Denim, and Magic City Hippies.
The Sykes Stage features heavy-hitter hi-hop acts Tank & the Bangas and The Pharcyde. Of special note will be Tampa mainstays Uncle John’s Band, performing some of the music The Grateful Dead played at the since-razed Curtis Hixon Hall in 1973 that appeared on the very first Dick’s Picks album. (Read Ray Roa’s outstanding story from Creative Loafing here.)
More music will pour from the Replay Guitar Exchange Stage, including Fr33dback and Venus Bleu, even more from the Ferman Amphitheater. There will be Silent Disco hosted by Silent Rhino Saturday night.
SUNDAY
Gary Clark, Jr., and his wicked guitar will shut the festival down, while Tribal Style gets an early start on the Curtis Hixon Stage. Also appearing will be Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, The Infamous Stringdusters, and the remarkable pedal steel guitar master Roosevelt Collier.
Over at the Sykes Stage, The New Orleans Suspects’ Tribal Gold will bring Mardi Gras with them, including Big Chief Juan Pardo and the Golden Comanche Mardi Gras Indians! The Beths and Jared & the Mill are part of that lineup, too. And The Savants of Soul and The Hails play the Replay Guitar Exchange Stage. And there’s more in the Amphitheater.
Two big days in downtown Tampa! Bring your sunscreen! It will get up to 85° both days!
GASPARILLA MUSIC FESTIVAL
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