The City of Tampa is putting down roots for a new tradition with its first-ever Earth Fair, taking place April 19 at Al Lopez Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This event is designed to grow community awareness around sustainability while giving residents the tools and knowledge to take action.
Organizers said the idea blossomed from a clear gap.
After years of participating in EcoFest, city leaders recognized there was no longer a large-scale Earth event within Tampa city limits. Rather than waiting to see if EcoFest will change locations down the road, the city decided to cultivate something of its own.
“We are Parks and Recreation, and these are community parks, so we need to educate residents on the importance of their support to continue being sustainable and drive home the principle of ‘leave no trace,’” said Jessica Serre, Parks & Recreation projects & services coordinator. “We want to show residents how they can help the environment while also letting them know about all the opportunities and programs available in the city.”
The event was built from the ground up with multiple partnerships and groups ready to bring more focus on sustainability to the city, and the vision continued to expand.
Multiple county and city divisions, including solid waste and water resources, will be on site, along with community partners such as the Coalition of Community Gardens, Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful and The Rooted Door.
Unlike a typical vendor-style festival, the Earth Fair is intentionally designed to be education-first.
“We wanted to move away from just having vendors and really focus on education,” Serre said. “This is about showing residents how they can be environmental stewards in their everyday lives.”
At 11 a.m., there will be a welcoming ceremony with the mayor, followed by yoga in the park. The event will also have live music for guests to enjoy throughout the day.
The mayor will also host her tree giveaway event, where guests can receive one or two trees along with free mulch.
During the event, guests will be handed a sustainability passport that will track their progress throughout the fair to win free plants and soil.
The passport will have seven categories: resilience, culture, energy, land, water, food and waste.
“Once a guest goes to a booth under each category, they will receive a sticker. For example, if the guest goes to Tampa Bay Estuary, they will get a sticker under the water category,” Serre said.
Those same categories on the passport will have a lineup of educational sessions held every 30 minutes inside the park’s Hunt Center, including:
A resilience panel covering disaster preparedness for hurricanes and other major storms events, as well as the Coastal Master Plan
A culture session on the direct and indirect impacts that lead to climate anxiety and learning tips to build emotional resilience
A Energy discussions covering the city’s energy use and systems efficiency to the benefits of residential solar
A land session discussing climate change and gardening.
A water presentation about water saving practices to drought resilience
A food demonstration on making pesto with culinary herbs and how to participate in community gardens
A waste session about the lifecycle of everyday products and what happens to them once disposed
“Throughout the day, there will be guided nature walks and Florida-Friendly garden tours and demonstrations for residents to learn how to create their own garden,” Serre said.
The event’s theme is not just sustainability, it’s built into every detail.
Guests are encouraged to BYOB—bring your own bottle and bring your own bag.
“We have eight food trucks, and they had to agree to compostable materials like utensils and cups,” Serre said. “We will have a solid waste team on site to help ensure we do our best to be a zero-waste event and encourage proper disposal.”
The event will also be powered in part by the city’s Ford Lightning electric trucks, which will support audio, charging stations and cooling areas to cut down on fossil fuel use while highlighting clean energy solutions. Attendees can also explore micro-mobility options like e-bikes and participate in an electric vehicle ride-and-drive experience.
“We wanted to try and keep this event focused and keep the purpose at the forefront,” Serre said.
To maintain this focus, organizers limited participation primarily to nonprofits, with only four for-profit sponsors. Outside of food, there are no other charges.
Serre said the response from the community has been overwhelming, with vendors exceeding capacity in the first year.