One Saturday, two halls, one ticket
The India Festival runs Saturday 31 October 2026 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. Hwy 301 N, Tampa, FL 33610. The Gujarati Samaj of Tampa Bay organises the festival. The fairgrounds lists Expo Hall and Entertainment Hall as the venues.
One admission covers the full day: the cultural performances, the dance competition as a spectator, the Indian Bazaar and the food court. Food comes from the vendors and is paid separately.
A one-day shape fixes the budget. Coach seats, gate admission and parking.
The per-seat number
The organiser sells advance admission at $11.50. The gate price is $15. Advance buyers save $3.50. Children under 3 enter free, and ages 3 and up need a ticket.
A 40-seat coach costs $460 at the advance rate and $600 at the gate. The gap is $140. A 55-seat coach costs $632.50 in advance against $825 at the gate, a gap of $192.50.
One published figure disagrees. The fairgrounds event page lists admission at $10 online and $15 at the gate. The ticketing page sells India Fest 2026 at $11.50 in advance. Buy through the ticketing page and hold $11.50 in the budget.
Route the coach to Gate 1
The fairgrounds carries three entrances: US Hwy 301, MLK Blvd and Orient Rd. The venue list numbers them Gate 1 at US Hwy 301, Gates 2 and 3 at MLK Blvd, and Gate 4 at Orient Rd.
Festival traffic uses Gate 1. The organiser closes the MLK Blvd gates 2 and 3 and the Orient Rd gate 4 to festival traffic, and it routes drivers off I-75 exit 264 to the US Hwy 301 entrance.
Both halls sit at Gate 1. Set the coach pickup inside that gate, on the lot side of the ticket scan. A group that splits across two halls then holds one meeting point.
The organiser prints three drive times: downtown Tampa 12 miles and 20 minutes, St. Petersburg 28 miles and 35 minutes, Orlando 85 miles and 1 hour 20 minutes.
Parking sells separately
The ticketing page lists India Fest guest parking at $15 with one-time entry. The same page sells parking as a separate line from event entry.
The fairgrounds event page prints $10 online and $12 onsite. The organiser's parking page prints $10 per vehicle. Check the rate on the ticketing page before the coach leaves, and hold $15 per vehicle.
Re-entry runs on a hand stamp. The parking ticket covers one entry, so keep the coach parked for the day and collect the stamps at the door before anyone steps out.
Two halls for a large group
Expo Hall holds 87,000 or more square feet of exhibit space under 45-foot ceilings, with eight meeting rooms, drive-through doors and wifi. Entertainment Hall holds 51,000 square feet under 36-foot ceilings, with a stage, portable bleachers and two downstairs dressing rooms. The two halls combine into 138,000 square feet.
The fairgrounds names 85 or more dance teams and 200 or more exhibitors. The organiser's ticket page puts expected attendance at 10,000 or more across 13 or more hours. The organiser's About page reads 100 or more exhibitors across 8 or more hours.
A group of 40 splits three ways and meets at the Gate 1 lot at a set time.
The grounds run ADA accessible, with ramps, accessible restrooms and dedicated viewing areas. Outside food and drink stay off the grounds, and free water stations sit inside.
The clock
Doors open at 9 a.m. and the festival closes at 10 p.m. It runs rain or shine, and the ticketing page states no refunds and no exchanges.
Two times belong in the trip sheet: the load time at Gate 1 and the roll time. A 9 a.m. arrival puts the group through the scan before the first performance block. A 9 p.m. load leaves an hour on the published close.
Rooms if the group stays over
bookMyTeam lists 175 hotels in Tampa. The platform takes requests from 10 rooms, sends one request to 50 or more hotels, and charges the planner $0 in fees.
Published savings figures differ by page. The how-it-works page states 15 to 40 percent below rack rates. The group rate calculator states 15 to 30 percent off standard rates against a default assumption of 10 percent that the page calls conservative.
A worked example on the planner's own input: a room quoted at $150 a night returns $127.50 at 15 percent off and $105 at 30 percent off. No Tampa rate is published, so $150 is an example.
A club that wants the Friday night files the request with dates, the room mix and the night count.
The cost line
For 31 October, the seat cost is $11.50 a person and the parking is $15 a vehicle. The rest is diesel and a departure time.
