How to plan your best day ever at the Gasparilla Music Festival 2023!

The Gasparilla Music Festival returns for a two-day celebration at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park April 29-30, 2023!! This  family-friendly event is a weekend filled with amazing live music, local dining, and so much more. 

As we recommend every year, bring the kids for a music festival experience during the day and then return later in the evening while the kids enjoy the night with a babysitter! This event is one of our favorite things to do to close out the final weekend of April!

To help you navigate your day, we’re dishing on all the details including the festival’s origins, the concert line-up, and more. So. let’s get to it, friends!

What is Gasparilla Music Festival?

The annual music fest is put on by the Gasparilla Music Foundation, a Florida 501(c)-3 non-profit corporation that supports music education through its Recycled Tunes program. The mission of Recycled Tunes is to enrich the lives of underserved and impoverished children in Tampa Bay by ensuring access to musical instruments. They also give students performance opportunities on the festival stages in front of large crowds.

Related: Gasparilla Music Festival’s Impact: The gift of music through Recycled Tunes

GMF launched in 2012 in Downtown Tampa. This year’s festival will take place in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Parkon April 29-30, 2023 featuring musical acts from a wide variety of genres on several stages and cuisine from the region’s top restaurants, along with a Soundcheck Party on April 20.

Changes to Expect at GMF 2023

Due to building issues in Kiley Gardens Park, there will be a few adjustments made to the festival’s layout. The main stage will be in Curtis Hixon, with additional stage(s) located nearby in downtown Tampa. Unfortunately, the Kids Fest will not be taking place due to the status of Kiley Gardens Park. However, kids aged 12 and under are still welcome to attend the festival and will receive FREE admission. Event organizers tell us Kids Fest will be back in 2024, so stay tuned for exciting updates in the future!

Gasparilla Music Festival Tickets

General admission single-day tickets are $50 and two-day tickets are $80. VIP single-day tickets are $125 and VIP two-day tickets are $200. Your best bet is to purchase tickets in advance online here. 

VIP tickets include VIP entrance into the festival, front of stage viewing at main stage, shade tents at two stages, exclusive VIP bar at the main stage, and air-conditioned attended restrooms.

You can also purchase GMF merchandise here. Produced by the non-profit Gasparilla Music Foundation, GMF proceeds support music education in Bay area schools.

A few need to know facts before you go:

• Re-entry is allowed once you received your wristband.
• Ticket and entry are voided if wristband is removed.
• Rain or Shine.
• No Refunds.
• All artists and times subject to change or cancellation.

Gasparilla Music Festival 2023 Lineup

Here is the confirmed lineup as of April 13, 2023. Keep checking back for more acts to be announced!

Friday, April 20 – Soundcheck Party

Get ready for an electrifying night of music with Galactic featuring Anjelika Jelly Joseph at the 2023 Soundcheck Party – the official launch party for the Gasparilla Music Festival! Countdown the days to GMF and get an early sneak peak of a new music venue coming to Ybor!

Where: 1920 E 7th Avenue (formerly Frankie’s Patio)
When: 8pm (doors open at 7pm)
Cost: $50. Click here to purchase GMF Soundcheck Tickets

Saturday, April 29- Festival Day One

Gates open at 1pm

Headliner: Run the Jewels

• Chromeo
• Cannons
• Rising Appalachia
• Big Head Todd & The Monsters
• Flipturn
• Shelby Sol
• Pusha Preme
• Summer Hoop
• Rebekah Pulley & The Reluctant Prophets
• Earthtonez Music Collective
• Whale Feral
• Mt Zion Gospel Choir

Sunday, April 30 – Festival Day Two

Gates open at 1pm

Headliner: Joe Russo’s Almost Dead

• The 502s
• Local Natives
• Rising Appalachia
• Shevonne & The Force
• Cope
• Minim
• George Pennington & The Odyssey
• Tampa Metro Youth Orchestra

Where to park for the Gasparilla Music Festival

There are several downtown parking garages and parking lots along with metered spots, but you can also take a ride-share serve as well.

Recommended parking garages for Gasparilla Music Festival:

• • Poe Garage (closest to event): Corner of Ashley Drive & Cass Street
  • Fort Brooke Garage: 107 N. Franklin Street

Recommended parking lots for Gasparilla Music Festival:

• Madison Lot: Corner of Florida Ave & Twiggs Street
• Kennedy Lot: Corner of Kennedy Blvd & Marion Street
• Park Tower Garage: Corner of Kennedy Blvd & Tampa St

Please see the Parking and Transportation page for more information.

Where to enter Gasparilla Music Festival 2023

If you’re wondering where to enter the event, here is a list of gates for each type of admission:

• General Admission Gate 1: located on the Ashley St side of Curtis Hixon Park, by the Glazer Children’s Museum
• General Admission Gate 2: situated on the Riverwalk (west side) of Curtis Hixon Park. This gate is for re-entry purposes only
• VIP Ticket Holder Entrance: located on the northeast side of Curtis Hixon Park, across from the kid’s play area
• Sponsor/Higher Ground Ticket Holder Entrance: situated on the north side of Curtis Hixon, between the Children’s Museum and the Museum of Art.

GMF 2023 Food Lineup

In addition to amazing musical acts, GMF will also have a fantastic lineup of some of Tampa’s best restaurants to keep you going throughout the day. Here are some of the participating restaurants who have been confirmed to be on-site so far.

• Big Ray’s Fish Camp
• Big Red BBQ
• Cafe Hey
• Cena
• Chill Bros.
• Coppertail Brewing Co.
• Dough Nation
• Elevage
• Stuft Gourmet Empanadas
• Kona Ice
• Loli’s Mexican Cravings
• Nebraska Mini Mart
• Shadrach’s Firey Furnace
• Whatever Pops

Visit gasparillamusic.com for the full lineup plus all of the Gasparilla Music Festival information you need to plan a music-filled weekend.

*This story was write-in collaboration with our media partners at TampaBayDateNightGuide.com. Cover photo by Caesar Carbajal – Gasparilla Music Festival Main Stage.

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