Florida Historic Pageants and Fairs

Florida fair and livestock show season runs from September through April, and the FDACS fair locator lists each county fair by month, from the Baker County Fair in September to the Lake County Fair in April (FDACS fair locator).

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services describes Florida's county fairs and livestock exhibitions as showcases of the past, present and future of Florida agriculture, with 4-H and FFA livestock competitions and local arts and crafts (FDACS fair locator). Its locator tells visitors to contact each fair directly for tickets, entertainment or vendor questions (FDACS fair locator).

March has the longest list on the FDACS locator, which also names the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City and the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair and Exposition that month (FDACS fair locator). The Pensacola Interstate Fair runs Thursday, October 22, through Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 6655 W. Mobile Hwy in Pensacola; advance online tickets, sold at 50 percent off, cost $8.28 for adults 12 and up and $3.87 for children 4 to 11 including fees, and only clear bags are allowed (Pensacola Interstate Fair). The fair office phone is (850) 944-4500 (Pensacola Interstate Fair). The North Florida Fair in Tallahassee and the Volusia County Fair in DeLand follow in November on the FDACS list (FDACS fair locator).

The 2027 Florida State Fair runs February 4 to 15, 2027, at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, and tickets are already on sale (Florida State Fairgrounds).

The fairgrounds address is 4800 U.S. Highway 301 North, Tampa, FL 33610, and there are three entrances: US Hwy 301, MLK Blvd and Orient Road (Florida State Fair FAQ). The fairgrounds main line is (813) 621-7821 (Florida State Fair FAQ).

Parking for the Florida State Fair costs $8 per vehicle when bought online during advance sales through February 4; once the fair opens it is $10 online or $15 at the gate (Florida State Fair FAQ). Ride credits sell at 7 for $10, 25 for $30 and 50 for $50, and each ride takes 4 to 8 credits (Florida State Fair FAQ).

The fair runs for 12 days, and exhibitors in the Creative Living competitions get free admission tickets, one for each adult exhibitor and two for each youth exhibitor (Florida State Fair FAQ). Cracker Country, which the fairgrounds calls Tampa's only living history museum, features structures from the late 1800s (Florida State Fairgrounds).

The Florida State Fair began in 1904 at the Tampa Bay Hotel in downtown Tampa, and in 1975 the Florida Legislature created the Florida State Fair Authority to govern it (Florida State Fairgrounds).

That first fair was held at Henry B. Plant's hotel, and in 1915 the Tampa fair combined with Tampa's Gasparilla Carnival, and the combined event is now known as the Florida State Fair (Florida State Fairgrounds). After the Legislature created the authority in 1975, the fair moved to its present grounds just off Interstate 4, which now cover 337 acres of event space (Florida State Fairgrounds).

Chapter 616 of the Florida Statutes defines a state fair as an annual public fair that serves the entire state, and Part III of the chapter creates the Florida State Fair Authority, responsible for staging the annual state fair, with 22 members (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616). The Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, or a designee, serves as a voting member, as does the Hillsborough County commissioner whose district includes the Florida State Fairgrounds (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616).

Gasparilla 2027 opens with Children's Gasparilla on January 23, 2027, peaks with the Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Parade of Pirates on January 30, 2027, and ends with the Outbound Voyage on February 27, 2027, all in Tampa (Gasparilla Pirate Fest).

On Pirate Fest day, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla celebrates capturing the key to the city with a Parade of Pirates down Bayshore Boulevard (Gasparilla Pirate Fest). For the Outbound Voyage the krewe boards the Jose Gasparilla II, which the organizer calls the world's only fully rigged pirate ship, for a final sail around Davis and Harbor Islands that ends with the ship docking in downtown Tampa (Gasparilla Pirate Fest).

The Gasparilla FAQ sets the ground rules: outside food and beverages are not permitted, and coolers are not permitted on the parade route (Gasparilla FAQ). Reserved parade seats along Bayshore and seats at the Gasparilla Invasion Brunch at the Tampa Convention Center are sold through Gasparilla Treasures at 813.251.8844 (Gasparilla FAQ).

Parking on Pirate Fest day is paid. A limited number of accessible spaces in the Fort Brooke Garage go first come, first served with a disabled parking permit, and a free parade viewing area for patrons with disabilities is set up in downtown Tampa (Gasparilla FAQ). The Gasparilla link to the Florida State Fair is old: the 1915 merger that produced the state fair joined it with the Gasparilla Carnival (Florida State Fairgrounds).

Two Florida pageant traditions look back to Spanish Florida: the De Soto Heritage Festival in Manatee County and the Fiesta of Five Flags in Pensacola, whose de Luna Parade appears in a 1955 state archive photograph (De Soto Heritage Festival; Florida Memory).

The De Soto festival is run by the Hernando de Soto Historical Society, a volunteer, not for profit group founded in 1939 that fosters an appreciation of Manatee County's Spanish American heritage (De Soto Heritage Festival). Its 2027 calendar lists the River Regatta on February 19 and 20, the Children's Parade on March 26, the City Capture on April 17, the Queen Selection Program on April 21, the Coronation Ball on April 23 and the Grand Parade on April 24, 2027 (De Soto Heritage Festival). The festival has crowned a queen's court of young women from the community for over 75 years (De Soto Heritage Festival).

Pensacola's pageant is documented in the State Library and Archives of Florida: Florida Memory holds a 1955 photograph of the Fiesta of Five Flags de Luna Parade, from the Department of Commerce collection, with a note that Tristan de Luna landed in Pensacola in 1559 (Florida Memory). No 2027 Fiesta dates are listed here because none could be confirmed from the organizer; dates for the Escambia County festival should come from its organizer.

A Florida fair association may not hold an annual public fair without a permit from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, under Chapter 616 of the Florida Statutes (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616).

The statute requires the permit application at least 90 calendar days before the fair, a premium list at least 60 calendar days before it, and proof of at least $300,000 per occurrence in liability insurance at least 21 days before opening (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616). FDACS then issues the permit within 10 calendar days of receiving the required information (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616).

FDACS adds its own deadlines: its County Fair Permitting page sets a June 15 deadline for the Fair Data Sheet for the next year's fair and asks for the signed and notarized Application for Fair Permit, form FDACS-06100, three months before the event (FDACS County Fair Permitting). FDACS issues fair permits under Chapter 616 and Rule 5H-23 of the Florida Administrative Code, and the Fair Program Administrator can be reached at (850) 617-7291 (FDACS County Fair Permitting).

Chapter 616 also limits each fair association to one annual public fair per calendar year, and an association that holds no annual public fair for 3 calendar years has its charter revoked by the court on the department's recommendation (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616). To qualify for a tax exemption certificate, a Florida fair must show minimum exhibits, starting with three exhibits from 4-H Clubs or Future Farmers of America chapters (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616). Its oldest sections trace back to chapter 7388 of the 1917 Laws of Florida (Florida Statutes, Chapter 616). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the FDACS website and the Florida Legislature statutes website.