TAMPA, Fla. — The Gasparilla Music Festival is looking for a new home after Tampa city leaders found issues with the event's location.
According to Tampa Parks & Recreation, an exploratory evaluation found water intrusion issues at Kiley Garden. In an abundance of caution, city leaders said they aren't allowing any events at the space until the issue is addressed. This includes the Gasparilla Music Festival which was slated for late February, according to Axios.
"Kiley Garden is currently unable to be used for the Gasparilla Music Festival due to water intrusion issues that have been identified through an exploratory evaluation," City of Tampa spokesperson Lauren Rozyla said in a statement.
"As a precautionary measure, the City is not allowing any events in the space until we receive full approval from an engineer to put loads on the top surface of the structure. Tampa Parks & Recreation is actively working with the organization to find a suitable alternative location for the event."
There is no word yet on a new venue for the Gasparilla Music Festival; however, event organizers said they "remain optimistic" the music festival will happen in 2023.
"Since we were informed of the waterproofing issues underneath Kiley Gardens and the fact that the city won't currently issue a permit for the Gasparilla Music Festival to use that park, we have been working on an alternative plan to create an amazing festival experience for 2023 in downtown Tampa," Gasparilla Music Foundation Executive Director David Cox said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, we still have some issues that haven't been resolved and are working through those now. We remain optimistic there will be a GMF 2023 with some exciting new changes, and we look forward to being able to announce those details soon."
