One Saturday, four formats that need a name on a list
The Tampa Bay Coffee & Art Festival runs Saturday 24 October 2026 at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The organiser prints 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fairgrounds event card prints 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the same date. Build the crew schedule on the earlier close and keep the organiser's clock in the brief.
The festival occupies the Special Events Center at 4800 U.S. Hwy 301 N, Tampa, FL 33610. Vehicles enter from MLK Jr Blvd at Gate 3. The gates open one hour before the start, and Eventbrite prints doors at 9:45 a.m.
Eventbrite lists the day at seven hours.
The four pre-event sign-ups
The organiser groups six activities under a heading that reads Pre-Event Sign-Up. Four of them take a corporate team.
A pottery wheel class runs with an instructor and covers the fundamentals of wheel throwing and shaping clay.
Espresso basics comes from Daycation Coffee Tech, with live demos and tastings. Each ticket in that session includes a bag of whole-bean coffee from Decker Island Coffee.
An SCA-style cupping runs with Fumi and Small Bean Coffee Roasters. The session works through the differences between coffees.
A community mural with artist Sara Salem takes participants through painting a TBCAF installation.
The other two cards are a student art competition and a miniature-world build from salvaged material.
What the ticket buys
Early Bird entry runs $13 to $24 and carries no entry package. VIP costs $50. Day-of entry costs $30. Children 12 and under enter free with an adult.
Entry includes all-day access, a three-hour tasting session from three available sessions, the coffee and art panels, and the curated gallery. VIP adds 9:30 a.m. early entry, an all-day tasting pass, a drink ticket for the Caribbean Moonshine VIP Speakeasy, a pen and notebook, a 2oz sampling mug, a 4-inch car magnet and a tote bag.
The panels sit outside the sign-up list. The organiser states that general coffee and art panels are open to all attendees, hosted by Florida roasters and artists. No panel place needs a booking.
Eight people, priced four ways
Eight Early Bird tickets cost $104 at the $13 floor and $192 at the $24 ceiling. Eight day-of tickets cost $240. Eight VIP tickets cost $400.
Two cars park for $20 bought online at $10 each, or $24 onsite at $12 each. The Eventbrite listing prints $10 per car and $16 per RV or bus, cash or credit accepted.
An Early Bird order at the $13 floor saves $136 across eight people against the day-of price. At the $24 ceiling the saving is $48.
Fitting four formats into one day
The organiser window runs seven hours. The venue close cuts it to six. A three-hour tasting session takes the middle of either.
Put each person in one craftivity and keep the rest as walk-up time. The typewriters, the curated gallery, the short films, the EAT THIS dessert espresso lounge and the travel scavenger hunt all sit under a Walk-Ups Welcome heading. Panels run through the day and need nothing booked.
A team of eight splits into two groups of four across the pottery wheel and the cupping. The espresso session suits the whole crew, because the coffee bag travels home with every ticket.
Lock the roster before the gates open
Sign-up happens before the festival. Treat the 10 a.m. Saturday open on 24 October as the last moment to add a name.
Buy the tickets in one order, so the whole team lands on the same tier. The listing carries no refunds.
Two questions stay open on the organiser pages: how many places each craftivity holds, and whether a class place requires a particular ticket tier. Neither answer is published, so ask before the roster is fixed.
A room the night before
A team of eight drives in on the Saturday morning and books no rooms. The trip is tickets and parking.
bookMyTeam builds requests for 10+ rooms and states that it serves the United States excluding CA, FL, HI, IA and WA. A Florida team that wants the Friday night books direct with the property.
Parking is the other line to settle early. The fairgrounds sells it at $10 online and $12 onsite. The Eventbrite listing prints $10 per car. Buy it with the tickets.
