Enjoy One of Ybor City’s Great Events!Ybor City Tampa is host to a number of very diverse annual events and attracts over a million and a half visitors per year. And while most people think of Ybor as a party-oriented city with Gasparilla and Guavaween, there are actually many events that cater to people of all ages. Since the late 19th century, the Ybor City area has been a melting pot of various cultures and there are multiple events that celebrate the cultural diversity of this beautiful city. Some of the premiere events that take place in Ybor City are as Fiesta Day, which has been running for over 65 years and celebrates the Latin culture of Ybor City like many of the festivals around the city. Ybor City Fiesta Day is a very family oriented event showcasing a variety of food and entertainment. Another cultural event is Festa Italiana (www.festaitalianatampa.com) which as you can imagine celebrates the Italian culture around the Ybor City Tampa area. Festa Italiana spans four days and features delicious Italian cuisine, live entertainment, family activities, and Italian wine. The Puerto Rican Cultural Parade and Festival, which is the first parade celebrating Puerto Rican established in Florida. This event focuses heavily on the food and if you love Spanish food than this is a cannot miss. There is an ample supply of tostones, mofongo, pasteles, chicharrón, arepas, morcilla, and empanadas. If you are not aware of what any of those words mean, don’t fret because they will tell you what is in it and you are almost guaranteed to love it all. Except I will pre-warn you that morcilla is a blood sausage so if you are not familiar with them, it can be off-putting. There is also a heavy focus on the other cultural aspects such as music and dance. An event focusing on the culture of Ybor City specifically is Espiritu de Ybor Festival, which was started in 2002 to show off the community, culture, and shopping opportunities of the city. Finally, but certainly not least is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ybor City Tampa. This parade is sponsored by the Tampa Bay Rough Riders (www.tampa-roughriders.org) and is the only parade that comes close to the larger events of Gasparilla and Guavaween, drawing in about 80,000 people each year. The parade takes place around 8pm and the festivities include as much beer as you would imagine a St. Patrick’s Day event would. This is a very fun parade and is not as hectic as Guavaween or Gasparilla. All these events combined bring in over 200,000 visitors annually. Other events include multiple festivals celebrating arts and crafts, a festival celebrating the great TECO Streetcar, and even the wonderful Ybor City Fresh Market (www.ybormarket.com) every Saturday. All of these events come highly recommended and particularly the Festa Italiana and St Patrick’s Day Parade. Come to Ybor City Tampa and celebrate the unique cultural backgrounds of a truly amazing city. |