Another weekend filled with friendly competition and Tampa's favorite sandwich is headed for historic Ybor City.
Last year, the Cuban Sandwich Festival traveled the state to find non-Tampa Bay entries for its Big City2City Smackdown, and the popular community event, now in its fifth year, has grown again.
Alongside winners of the preliminary face-offs held in locales like Orlando and South Florida, the fest will feature a UK competitor: England's Jama Cubana.
The newly international Cubano celebration, which is free to attend, will keep the crowd entertained throughout its three-day run.
Opening night is set to kick off with a VIP party on Friday, followed by the biggest Cuban sandwich in the world attempt at 11 a.m. Saturday on Hillsborough Community College's Ybor campus. Attendees will watch the fest take on this year's goal: 110 feet. After, the sandwich will be cut to feed more than 440 homeless citizens.
Starting at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, the event schedule includes 100-plus vendors and live performances alongside the big showdown at Centennial Park. Restaurants, food trucks and other food operations, including those around the bay, will battle for top titles in multiple Cuban sandwich categories.
Thousands came out for the tasty exploration of Cuban sandwiches in 2015, when Tia's Authentic Latin Food of Largo walked away with the "World's Best Cuban Sandwich" win.
