Robert Irvine points at the camera at a previous Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival event — Credit: courtesy

From live-fire cooking battles to waterfront tastings and late-night chef parties, the Tampa Bay Food and Wine Festival is gearing up for its biggest year yet. The festival returns for its fourth year in April, featuring five days of collaborative dinners, chef competitions, and food tastings across Tampa and St. Petersburg.

This year’s lineup features three new events: Rock the Range at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, a live-fire cooking competition with restaurant tastings; an expansion of the fan-favorite VIP Chef Showdown with the debut of the Milagro Tequila Bartender Showdown; and the Chefs After Dark Party hosted by OpenTable, a late-night for participating chefs to celebrate together.

Food Network star Robert Irvine, known for “Restaurant: Impossible” and “Dinner: Impossible,” returns as the host of the week-long festivities, joined by honorary chef host Sean Brasel of Meat Market. Chef Beau MacMillan, AKA BeauMac, makes his festival debut, bringing his expertise to co-host Rock the Range and the Milagro Tequila Bartender Showdown.

The fest starts with Experience St. Pete on Tuesday, April 7, and continues the next day with Experience Tampa. This year, dinner reservations for both nights will be available to book through OpenTable at $150-$350 per person.

Experience St. Pete includes multi-course dinners from chefs of Pulpo Kitchen & Lounge, II Ritorno, The Birchwood and more. At Experience Tampa, guests get an exclusive, four-course dining experience at Meat Market, plus tasting menus and family-style dining at the Epicurean Theatre, American Social, Elevage and Ash.

Rock the Range debuts Thursday at the Hard Rock Hotel, where chefs will cook live in front of the crowd and offer a diverse selection of restaurant tastings. Tickets are $266.18 per person.

Friday will begin with Breaking Bread with Heroes, an invite-only breakfast hosted by the Robert Irvine Foundation at American Social Bar & Kitchen. Irvine will welcome veterans, active-duty military members and first responders for a meal to honor their service and sacrifice.

Friday evening, the VIP Chef Showdown takes over Curtis Hixon Park. Twenty chefs will compete in ten head-to-head matchups while guests sample dishes, vote for their favorites and watch live cooking demonstrations judged by culinary insiders. The event also debuts the Milagro Tequila Bartender Showdown, adding cocktails and more friendly rivalry to the night.

The festival concludes Saturday with the Grand Tasting, a riverfront celebration at Curtis Hixon Park featuring bites from Tampa Bay restaurants organized by neighborhood. It includes live chef demonstrations, wine and cocktail pavilions, DJ sets and the “Best of the Fest” contest hosted by First Horizon, where attendees vote to crown the festival’s top restaurant. Tickets for Chef Showdown, Grand Tasting, and Rock the Range are on sale now at tampabaywff.com, with weekend pass bundles available.