Tampa Bay's Tailgate Taste Fest, held annually at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park since 2014, is managed by the Event Development Institute (EDI), a full-service marketing and event agency, specializing in growing new and existing events and brands nationwide. EDI was launched in 2013 as a dba of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC), a private, non-profit, 501c3, charitable corporation that serves the entire Tampa Bay area as the lead organization for bidding on and hosting premier sports and entertainment events. It is the TBSC’s mission to create social and economic impact throughout the Tampa Bay region.

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After beginning as a festival held in the summer to celebrate the start of football season, the TBSC and EDI recognized that tailgating isn’t unique to just football and perhaps a Fall event that encompasses all tailgating seasons would be more appropriate. Seven years later, Tampa Bay’s Tailgate Taste Fest has evolved into a large-scale annual event, held in early Fall, that embraces all-things tailgating. Each year, the event is supported by all of the area’s professional franchises and local sports entities, making it a true representation of our community’s support of #TeamTampaBay.