Florida State Fair

The Florida State Fair is rich in tradition and dates back to 1904. Back then, the Florida State Fair was held on a 2-acre piece of land near the University of Tampa. Even the Gasparilla parade started and ended at the fairgrounds site.

The 1970s was a turning point in the fair's history: Tampa was growing tremendously and the fairgrounds site was too small for the popular fair. In 1975, the Florida Legislature created the Florida State Fair Authority and officially declared the annual event as the "Florida State Fair."

In 1976, the fair moved to its current 355-acre site located at the intersection of I-4 and US Highway 301; seven miles from the original downtown location. The first fair was held at the new location in 1977 and has been doing so successfully ever since.

The one of a kind Florida State Fair has the largest independent midway in the southeast spanning ¾ of a mile long and an endless array of exhibits, concerts, games, rides, food, and activities the whole family can enjoy.

Always in Tampa, always in February; your chance to be part of yet another history-making Florida State Fair is Thursday, February 5 through Monday, February 16, 2009. We hope to see you there and thank you to everyone who visited us in 2008!