Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on Oct.2, 2015. Credit: cityofstpete / Flickr
It’s been 12 years since Taste of Pinellas last brought thousands to downtown St. Petersburg. But now the beloved food festival is back, sort of.
Taste, as it’s often referred to, was a multi-day event with roots in Straub Park. It was last held at Albert Whitted Park in 2014. It had been held for 26 years at the much larger Vinoy Park. Now it’s set to return for one day only on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2027 inside Tropicana Field.
As part of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital’s 100th anniversary, this year’s event will feature 20-30 restaurants, as well as live music, says a press release.
A “show-stopping” national headliner is supposed to be named later.
A rep for the festival told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that since the event is indoors on the playing field, it’ll be unlike any past Taste of Pinellas.
“No one in the stands, and the stage set up will be much larger than what the Rays have for their post-game concert series,” the rep added.
The once annual event was canceled in 2013, citing low attendance in previous years and what organizers described as the “changing landscape” of the local entertainment industry.
At the time, businessman Bill Edwards helped bring back the concert and food experience that donated proceeds to All Children’s Hospital.
The 2014 edition had ’80s hitmakers Pat Benatar and Loverboy as the headliners with KC and the Sunshine Band, and the Blues Brothers, starring Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd on opening night. Tickets started at $25. It had nearly two dozen local food vendors, though a decade earlier there were more than 40 food stalls.
Back in 2011 and 2012, Edwards, local entertainment and business impresario, had transformed the Taste of Pinellas festival into a huge live music happening, bringing in acts like Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Colbie Caillat, Chris Isaak, Dashboard Confessional, Third Eye Blind and Buddy Guy to headline the main stage in Vinoy Park.
The festival took a break in 2013.Then in 2014, it moved to Albert Whitted Park, located across from the Mahaffey Theater and Dali Museum, was chosen as a much smaller venue, but one that perhaps better fit the crowd size.
Ticket details for Taste of Pinellas happening Saturday, Feb. 6 at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field have not yet been announced.
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This article appears in August 20 – 26, 2026.
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