Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival is back this April for five glorious days. The festival promises to the most exciting and expansive this year.

This year’s festivities gathers together more restaurants, chefs, and wine and spirit producers for the ultimate celebration. New, notable events for 2025 includes “Experience St. Pete” and “Experience Tampa”. Of course, the fan-favorite Chef Showdown competition and Grand Tasting return too.

“We’re thrilled to bring the festival back for another year, offering an even more elevated and dynamic culinary experience,” shared Valerie Roy, Director of Marketing and Client Strategy at CI Management, the orchestrators of the Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival. “Tampa Bay’s thriving food and beverage scene continues to flourish, and this year’s expanded festival reflects that with the addition of more restaurants and incredible chef talent. We’re excited to welcome both locals and visitors to savor the very best this region has to offer, and we look forward to delivering an extraordinary festival experience this year.”

This year’s Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival occurs April 8-12. Here’s the schedule:

• An Evening at the Tampa Club (April 8): an invite-only cocktail event.
• Experience St. Pete (April 9): explore the city’s stunning coastal culinary scene by indulging in a four-course dinner at one of several featured restaurants along Central Avenue and beyond.
• Experience Tampa (April 10): widening the scope of last year’s Hyde Park-focused event to highlight more of Tampa’s top culinary destinations. Choose from several participating restaurants for a dazzling four- or five-course meal paired with exceptional wine and cocktails.
• Breaking Bread with Heroes (April 11): a tribute event hosted by Chef Robert Irvine in partnership with the Robert Irvine Foundation, along with hosting sponsor, Publix, and coffee partner, Castaway Coffee. The invite-only breakfast honors the bravery and heroism of 200 attending veterans.
• Irvine Spirits Chef Showdown (April 11): the competition is back with two new battle categories, Battle Surf n’ Turf  and Battle Smokehouse. Sixteen of Tampa Bay’s top chefs, including all reigning champions, will battle head-to-head in eight thrilling showdowns.
• Grand Tasting (April 12): features a roster of more than 40 of Tampa Bay’s premier dining destinations serving an elevated spread of delectable bites alongside a collection of world-class wines, craft cocktails, curated by Breakthru Beverage Florida, with brews featuring Stella Artois.

“I’m proud to have another opportunity to host the week’s celebratory events at the Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival and take on an even larger role in the Friday night Chef Showdown,” said Chef Irvine. “It’s incredibly gratifying to witness fellow locals and visitors discover and embrace the depth of talent and delicious food that Tampa Bay has to offer. I’m looking forward to connecting with festival guests, celebrating our shared passion for good food, and shining a spotlight on the chefs and flavors that help make this region so exceptional. You never know who will be joining in the celebrations.”

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival’s website or follow along with them on Facebook @tampabaywff and IG @tampabaywff.

Header photo c/o Tampa Bay WFF