One hall, one day, one gate
The Spirit Clash Cheerleading Competition runs Sunday, November 8, 2026 in the Entertainment Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 U.S. Hwy 301 N, Tampa, FL 33610.
The fairgrounds calendar card prints 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event data behind the page carries the same clock. Budget 12.5 hours on the grounds.
The Entertainment Hall carries 51,000 square feet under 36-foot ceilings. It holds two downstairs dressing rooms, a stage with portable bleachers for spectators, pipe and drape for a trade show, complimentary wifi, and utilities in the floor and wall. The venue page prints easy load-in and load-out accessibility. Combined with the adjacent Expo Hall the two buildings total 138,000 square feet.
The convoy enters at Gate 1
The fairgrounds venue list maps the Entertainment Hall to the U.S. Hwy 301 entrance, Gate 1. The event page prints US HWY 301 under Where to Enter. The parking product for the day reads Spirit Clash - Parking Only, good for one time entry, enter through U.S. Hwy 301, general parking $10.00.
From I-275 take I-4 east via Exit 45B, then Exit #7 for U.S. 301 South. Stay in the right lane for a quarter mile and turn right into the entrance. Do not pass the light at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. From I-75 northbound take Exit #260, merge left onto MLK Blvd, turn right at the light at U.S. 301 and turn left at the entrance across from the Holiday Inn Express and Winghouse Restaurant.
The fairgrounds runs a third entrance on Orient Road for competition deliveries, school trips, tours and visitors requiring special access. Vehicles check in at the security guard gate. A convoy carrying mats, props or a sound cart asks Event Services about that gate before it leaves.
The event services line
The fairgrounds contact page lists Ken Olson, Director of Event Services, on (813) 627-4210, and Brooke Hart, Event Services Manager, on (813) 740-4293. The main line is (813) 621-7821.
Give the desk the arrival time, the number of vehicles and the gate. A 7 a.m. start puts the coach on the grounds before the office opens on the day, so the arrangement has to be made on a weekday ahead of the Sunday.
Costs for staff families
Spectator admission is $25. Kids 3 and under enter free. Ten staff family members come to $250 and twenty come to $500.
Parking costs $10 bought online and $12 onsite. Two cars come to $20 prepaid and $24 at the gate. The portal states that parking does not include event entry.
The fairgrounds page carries a Buy Parking Online control and no advance spectator ticket link. Budget the admission at the door and confirm the door payment method with Event Services. The page names no organiser and publishes no refund rule.
Three events share the Sunday gate
The same calendar lists the 67th Annual Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show on November 7 and 8, Repticon on November 7 and 8, and the Tampa Bay Fall RV Show across November 5 to 8. On the Sunday the gem show runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Repticon 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the RV show 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Spirit Clash, Repticon and the RV show all sell parking through U.S. Hwy 301. The gem show sells through MLK Blvd. Route the coach to Gate 1 and expect RV traffic on the same approach from 9 a.m.
Rooms for the travel party
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa Fairgrounds Casino is 0.2 miles from the grounds and describes itself as directly across the street. Wyndham Garden Tampa Fairgrounds/Casino is 1.5 miles out, opened in 2025 and offers free parking. Staybridge Suites sits 2.7 miles, Hilton Garden Inn 2.8, Courtyard 4.4, Cambria 5 and Hampton Inn & Suites 5.0.
The property across the street carries a 7 a.m. call time for athletes and coaches.
bookMyTeam lists 175 hotels in Tampa on its city directory. Group rates start at 10 or more rooms per night, with some properties quoting from 5. One request reaches 50+ hotels and returns offers within 24 to 72 hours, at 15-40% below rack.
Three questions for the venue
The venue pages publish no coach parking bay, no per-vehicle set-down window and no spectator ticket sold in advance. Ask Event Services for the coach set-down point at Gate 1, the hour the lot opens on the Sunday, and whether a group of families can buy spectator admission in one transaction.
Florida requests
bookMyTeam publishes its seller-of-travel position. The platform cannot process hotel booking requests from residents of or for travel to Florida, Hawaii, Iowa and Washington. The restriction covers bookmyteam.org, grouprooms.org, hotelhaggle.org, hotelslots.org and partners.hotelhuddle.com. A Tampa block runs direct with the property.
