Almost $100,000 in prize money and scholarships (including the $15,000 Raymond James Best of Show Award) is on the line this weekend at the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts, where artists from around the nation will show off their work to thousands of visitors in downtown Tampa.
Last year’s winners include Tampa artist Nneka Jones, whose “Harmonious Conjunction,” a portrait of two women in thread and paint, won the $6,500 GFA Founder’s Award.
Now in its 56th year, the no cover event also includes live music and interactive art experiences—not to mention the host and MC is Tampa Bay’s favorite weatherman, Dennis Phillips— at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.
Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts
Time Sat., Feb. 28, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sun., March 1, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Location Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, 1001 N Blvd, Tampa
This article appears in Feb. 19 – 25, 2026.