spring festivals in tampa bay busch gardens food and wine festival

Our Favorite Spring Festivals in Tampa Bay

By Last Updated

Springtime in Tampa Bay means a weekend schedule packed with festivals. A few of our favorites are back, and we have a NEW addition this year. So, let’s dive in!

Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival in Tampa

  • When: Saturdays and Sundays from noon to park closing through May 19
  • Where: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, 
  • Cost: Festival and concert entry are included with park admission. Food and drinks are separate

This is your chance to feast around the world without leaving Tampa Bay! If you’ve been to the Food and Wine Festival before, you’ll notice this year is different, but in a good way, with 17 cabins in the Festival Pathway, Festival Field, and Bird Gardens areas.

Patel Conservatory dancers perform as baby mice in Next Generation Ballet's production of Nutcracker.

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While we’ve seen regions around the world featured in the past, this year’s offerings hone on specific countries like Argentina, Chile, Spain, France, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Italy. There are cabins focused on Old World Wines, Moonshine Tasting, and USA Desserts.

Says Executive Chef Matt Maslowski (celebrating his second Food and Wine Festival): “We are trying to bring theme park food to another level that people aren’t used to.”

Each weekend features live concerts with national headliners like Gavin DeGraw on April 21 and Andy Grammar on April 27.

The event is included with admission, but if you want to save at the cabins, we suggest purchasing the Sampler lanyard. You can buy a 10-item sampler for $70 or a 15-item sampler for $85. Pass members can buy an 18-item sampler for the price of the 15-item sampler.

Keel Farms Blueberry Festival in Plant City

  • When: Saturday, March 30; Saturdays and Sundays on April 6 & 7, 13 & 14, 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Where: 
  • Cost: Admission is free, but parking is $10

Tampa Bay’s favorite event celebrating the blueberry returns with the 16th annual Keel Farms Blueberry Festival. You can expect plenty of family-friendly activities like bounce houses, camel rides, a petting zoo, and of course, u-pick blueberries! There is a fee for U-pick or you can purchase pre-picked berries to take home.

Related: Where to pick blueberries in Tampa Bay and Our Favorite U-Pick Farms in Tampa Bay

 

Hunsader Farms 1st Annual Flower Festival in Bradenton

  • When: April 13-14 & 20-21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Where: Hunsader Farms, Bradenton
  • Cost: Admission is $15 and kids 10 and younger are free. If you want to pick flowers, you can purchase a picking cup.

Hunsader Farms is always a favorite day trip in the springtime with its beautiful U-pick flowers. At their inaugural Flower Festival, expect multiple fields of cut-your-own flowers, hayrides, train rides, pony rides, live bands, food vendors, craft vendors, fresh produce, a petting zoo, gem mining, and more.

Related: Where to pick pretty flowers in Tampa Bay

 

SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo

  • When: April 9-14, gates open at 8 am
    Where: Lakeland Linder International Airport
  • Cost: FREE for kids 10 and under, $20/day for youths 11-17, $40/day for adults, plus weekly admission options and discount days

The Aerospace Center for Excellence is excited to offer the Junior ACEs experience during the upcoming SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo!

Youth attendees between the ages of 7 and 17 have access to all of the Junior ACEs activities found in three locations: Skylab Innovation Center, Buehler Restoration and Skills Center, and the Junior ACEs Tent located in the Future ‘n Flight Plaza.

Junior ACEs activities focus on STEM and aerospace learning and include flight simulation, aircraft manufacturing, robotics, and 3D printing. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Worth the Drive:
EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival at Walt Disney World

  • When: Daily through May 27
  • Where: EPCOT at Walt Disney World
  • Cost: Festival entry and concerts are included with admission. Food and drinks are separate.
Epcot Flower And Garden Festival 2024 topiaries
Epcot Flower And Garden Festival 2024 – Image by Dani Meyering

This is one of our favorite festivals at EPCOT because it inspires and offers something for everyone in the family, from the green thumb to the foodie. There’s plenty for kids as well, like Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration Scavenger Hunt and the Play Garden playground.

As foodies sip and taste their way through the 18 festival-exclusive Outdoor Kitchens, the green thumb (or wannabe gardener) can be inspired by the topiaries and 25 themed gardens.

Among our favorite gardens are the Bouquet Garden in the France pavilion and the new PB&J Garden at the bridge to the World Showcase—it’s filled with funny jokes for kids and fun facts. Music lovers in the family can enjoy daily live concerts as part of the Garden Rocks concert series.