Last year, when asked what GMF had to do to make it another decade or so, Executive Director and co-founder David Cox told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the festival had to constantly evolve—and the fact that it’s offering a stacked lineup of national and homegrown talent this year speaks volumes on its ability to adapt.
The locally-ran and organized music festival typically happens in February or March, with its lineup announced far before that. This year’s highly-anticipated lineup drop happened in early March, as complications surrounding one of its regular venues, among other changes, stalled the festival’s announcement. Kiley Gardens—which is adjacent to Curtis Hixon Park and home to many GMF stages over the years—could not be utilized for this year’s festival due to structural issues.
Back in January, the City of Tampa said that “water intrusion issues have been identified through an exploratory evaluation.” Cox described 2023 as “a transitional year for the festival,” as it adapts to Tampa’s growing downtown and the absence of Phil Benito, a local concert promoter who served as GMF’s talent buyer for the past ten years.
While downtown’s Curtis Hixon Park will be GMF’s main hub, there will be additional stages at The Straz’s Riverwalk Stage, the Tampa Convention Center and Sparkman Wharf, according to the fest’s website.
Run The Jewels—the legendary rap duo featuring Killer Mike and El-P—lead GMF’s headliners alongside electro-funk duo Chromeo, rock band and professional Deadheads Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and indie-rock heartthrobs Local Natives. Heavy hitter local acts include GMF favorite Shevonne & The Force, rapper Pusha Preme, songwriter Rebekah Pulley, neo-soul singer Shelby Sol, indie-pop outfit Speakeasy and GMF veterans Flipturn among many, many more. GMF’s entire 2023 lineup, day-by-day schedule and full list of sponsors, vendors and amenities can be found at gasparillamusic.com.
In addition to two full days of multi-genre acts from Tampa Bay and beyond, GMF also features a variety of local food vendors slinging their tastiest festival food, locally-brewed craft beer, kid-friendly activities, silent disco and interactive art installations. Parking might be a little tricky, but Poe, Curtis Hixon and the Fort Brooke garages are your best bet besides carpooling and ridesharing apps.
Tickets for this weekend’s GMF 2023 are still available and can be purchased directly on its website—with single day passes running for $50 on the cheaper end. Or you can opt for $200 VIP tickets if you’d like to treat yourself all weekend-long.
Whatever ticketing tier you gravitate towards, it’ll be money well spent since the festival is operated and organized by the Gasparilla Music Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit. Each spring, the community-funded festival strives to “create a sustainable community event for the Tampa Bay area while promoting arts education and benefiting local organizations and businesses.”
When it is not hosting Tampa Bay’s largest homegrown music and arts festival, the foundation continues to work with its local charity “Recycle Tunes,” which provides new and refurbished instruments to students across the Bay area.
2024’s Gasparilla Music Festival is already underway, and will take place Friday-Sunday, Feb. 16-18 at Tampa’s Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. Only time will tell what the constantly-evolving GMF has in store for next year.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating one last year in Curtis Hixon with a sensational lineup. We’re very excited to establish our new home at Julian B Lane Park in 2024 where we can grow for years to come and remain an integral part of the downtown landscape,” Cox told CL earlier this year.
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 3, 2023.