TAMPA — It was a weekend of music, food and fun events up and down the Tampa Riverwalk as locals and visitors celebrated the 8th annual Riverfest.
From Sparkman Wharf all the way to Armature Works, businesses joined together to make the 2.6 mile pathway a non-stop party.
“We walked the whole thing, we thought it was great, there is a lot of good stuff to do, good stuff to see, cool events going on right now, we had a good time,” said Nathan Fleury from Orlando.
Jacquie Brown’s family just moved here from Canada, this is their first Riverfest. “The culture is awesome, the people are great, we have a ton of fun here and the weather it’s still snowing at home so we love it,” said Brown.
Maria Belen traveled all the way from Argentina, and by the sound of it, she doesn’t want to leave.
“We don’t have a place like this in Argentina so I think it’s really awesome, we really like the Riverwalk, we are thinking of moving near here because we don’t want to miss activities we can do near the Riverwalk,” said Belen.
Curtis Hixon Park was one of several stops, filled with live music, food vendors, and special events- like wiener dog races.
“She did her first race when she was only four months old and ever since then she just really loved it so I just kept racing her and she won her first state title when she was two and this is now her third state title,” said winning dog owner Angie Khoury.
If watching all the racing got you hungry, there was a taco fest just a few feet away. But there was no competition there, only teamwork.
“It’s like a big family, we’ve made friends with all the other restaurants, everybody is getting along and having a good time,” said Jeff Allison, executive chef with Jotoro Kitchen and Tequila Bar.
Big events like this are all made possible thanks to the non-profit organization, Friends of the Tampa Riverwalk, proud to be the 2nd best riverwalk in the country, according to USA today.
“A big part of our mission is to bring events to our community that are free and family friendly, we aren’t gated, we’re not ticketed, it’s important for us to do what we can to give back to the community,” said Mary Beth Williams, with Friends of the Riverwalk.
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