Attended the Tampa Bay Rodeo & Family Festival at these fairgrounds and had a great time! I'll speak to the fairgrounds and management versus the actual rodeo since this is a review of the Hills Cty Fairgrounds itself which holds a variety of events. The parking was ample and very organized. Not as huge as the Fl State Fairgrounds, but plenty big enough. What I will say was better was the management of parking. The parking attendants were quicker than Disney parks and more organized lol. Entrance was pretty quick with tickets already. The facilities weren't horrible unless you looked up at the ton of cobwebs (yuck!). The benched arena was like a typical high school one but maybe bigger, thus the rodeo we attended. Over all, I would keep coming to events here no problem. Also, there was no extra charge for parking but not sure if that's typical of this fairground or not. read more

We went here for Tampa Bay Festival of Lights for the first time this year. It was a nice experience. We have been to the one in Daytona. That one was much longer. This one in Tampa became our date night. In Santa's village, it was filled with some carnival rides, a petting zoo, camel rides, booth's with food, and a lot of cute Christmas props. There is also a building where the bathrooms were. No yucky port-a-potty which I was expecting. Inside the building there were some vendors. We definitely made the best of the night, especially with the props. We enjoyed the festival. read more

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Came here for "Tampa Bay's Festival of Lights and Santa's Village" on the Sunday night before Christmas. It's a drive-thru experience and my friend with the sun roof drove us through, which made for great photo opportunities out of every window. There were all sorts of light displays-more than I expected, actually. And there's a Santa's village set up, where you can park and see Santa-plus ride live camels and try other family activities. I think there might be food, too-but I'm not sure since we didn't stop. It's probably really fun for families-as this whole event is-but the entry process is not for the faint of heart-or those short in holiday spirit. We paid ahead online-$30 per carload (which isn't bad if you have a full vehicle and split that cost). You can also pay once you're in the experience, which slows down the entry for everyone-and that's once you get *off SR 60 and onto fairgrounds property. We waited an hour and 45 minutes on 60, to make that turn. Thats a long wait-and there was no one directing traffic along the interstate-just one deputy sitting in their cruiser with lights on, not involved in the safe entry process. My two dear friends and I made the most of the time together-but I can imagine it was hard for families with young, antsy children. The drive-thru is one lane-you follow the leader until you're done. There was a port-o-let or two near the entrance where you can pull over and there may have been bathrooms at/near the Santa's Village area. Other than that spot, there's really no stopping. And there's only one way out. It took us about 35 minutes to make our way through. It's pretty-in a unique setting-and we had fun riding through in our jammies listening to Christmas music. But be forewarned about that long wait to get in. They probably should set up a reservations-only process-but I don't know if even that would help. The event ran from 6pm to 9pm the night we were there-and if you're in before nine, you can finish the trail. read more

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We had heard about the Festival of Lights being held at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds, so we decided to visit the fair on Sunday evening to experience the festive atmosphere. Upon arrival, we noticed a long queue at the entrance, which was a bit of a hassle as we had to wait quite a while to get in. The ticket price was $30 per person, which we found to be on the expensive side. Once inside, the fair was beautifully decorated with thousands of twinkling lights, creating a magical and festive atmosphere. It was truly a visual treat for anyone looking to get into the holiday spirit. One of the highlights was the Santa Village, where visitors could click photos with Santa, making it a great spot for families and kids to create holiday memories. However, the experience leading up to the fair left much to be desired. From the entrance to the parking lot, the flow of cars was extremely slow, moving at less than 10 mph. It felt frustrating and monotonous, especially with an infant in the car. Adding to this, there was no quick exit available, which turned into a major inconvenience for us. Our baby started crying for milk, and despite needing to leave urgently, we had no option but to patiently wait until we reached the parking lot. While the lights and festive decorations were undoubtedly beautiful and worth seeing, the logistical challenges--long queues, slow-moving traffic, and lack of a quick exit--somewhat overshadowed the experience. read more

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We bought our pass online in advance for the holiday light show and waited in line for 1.5+ hours to get in. It is 8:35pm and it closes at 9pm. We still haven't been inside. Definitely a sht show as someone else mentioned. Wish we had looked for reviews before hand. There is a deputy outside who is not directing traffic. Ok... once in it is cool. We got in just after 9pm. We did not do Santa's Village but the lights are cool. However, we won't do again because of the hassle getting in. read more

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Been here for the country fair and the festival of lights. Never a bad experience. Everything is well run and everyone is friendly. Website hasn't updated to next year yet so we are in the dark on what else there is to do through the year! But I can promise we will visit again. read more

This review is soley for the Christmas Lights/Santa's Village. I went to the fair for Halloween/Fall and it was FANTASTIC! Was hoping to have another great experience, but that didn't happen. Fill your gas tank, pack a snack and empty your bladder because this is going to be a LONG journey. We spent more time in our car on SR 60 looking at the brake lights in front of us, then enjoying anything festive. We missed being in a car accident by one car legnth. There are cars entering from the north which get added into the line coming in off the 60, so it took forever to get to the actual entrance. I paid 34 dollars online during early November, but being the early bird didn't pay off this time. Seems it would have been four dollars cheaper if I waited and paid when I got there (only 30). We were so exhausted by the time we finally did get to any kind of parking that we didn't stay for the Santa's Village. We were ready to go. There were no signs or directions when exiting a dark, off road path. Overall, not a great experience. We won't be going back. read more

We came for the festival of lights. Everyone was very nice, but I don't think it was worth $30 for a very short ride. We didn't go into Santa's village because we have 2 dogs and we were told they couldn't come in. So on a regular night (not santa's village), the drive thru is $25 which still seems overpriced. Grateful for the lights in the area, but overpriced. read more

Hillsborough County Fair - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Florida

Entering the fairgrounds we were greeted by over a million lights (an actual posted statistic) as we drove the 2 miles of seasonally themed Tampa Florida bright light displays in a cozy neighborhood environment. We made s'mores at a fire pit - we are corn dogs while walking around the perimeter and spiralled into the kernel of the rides and displays where Dennis Lee and his band were playing music . However, for me, the highlight of the evening was spending time with Mr. Grinch and interestingly enough - on my beloved father's birthday 12/16. Mr. Grinch was by far his favorite Christmas character, wearing his Grinch tie at the head of the table. He and I would always watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) every year together. Below are a few of his favorite lyrics to the song: "Your as charming as a , your as cuddly as an eel - Mr. Grinch" "You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile - Mr. Grinch" And a few other takes from the movie: "Nobody should be alone for Christmas" Cindy Lou Who "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe perhaps Christmas means a bit more " Mr. Grinch ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Merry Christmas to one and All - Me.. Melr Charming Mr. Alarming read more

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We attended the Tampa Rodeo at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover, Florida on Saturday, July 20th, and it was a sold-out event. The gates opened at 5:00 PM, with the rodeo kicking off at 7:30 PM. Parking filled up quickly, but we lucked out and found a spot near the entrance. Although everyone had tickets in advance, there was a long line to get wristbands upon entry, which slowed down the process. Just past the entrance, we encountered a vendor loudly handing out what appeared to be raffle tickets--but it turned out to be a timeshare promotion disguised as a chance to win a Publix gift card. It felt misleading and took away from the event vibe. There was an animal exhibit area with elephants, camels, and goats. For $5, you could feed the goats, and there were photo opportunities with the elephant--though it was clearly a setup for quick posed pictures at an additional fee. There was no signage about camel rides, and the overall animal experience felt more like a sideshow. Unfortunately, restroom conditions were rough. When we arrived, they were closed, and once opened, there was a notice about septic issues: no flushing allowed and no running water, which meant no handwashing--a definite hygiene concern, especially during a large public event in the heat. An indoor vendor market was available, but it had no electricity, leaving it hot and dimly lit. Most people bypassed it altogether. The extreme heat took a toll, and we saw paramedics arrive after attendees began to faint--an unfortunate reminder of how brutal Florida in July can be. Be sure to bring bug spray, so many bugs! Couple food vendors and the beer barn, long lines. The rodeo itself was just okay. Most of the action took place on the far side of the arena, making it difficult to see from our section. Since the event was so packed, it ended up being mostly standing room only, and finding decent seating was nearly impossible. While we were glad to experience the rodeo and the energy of a sold-out crowd, the logistics, conditions, and visibility left a lot to be desired. If you plan to go in the future, come prepared for heat, crowds, and limited facilities--and try to arrive as early as possible for better parking and a good spot. read more

Hillsborough County Fair - Food Vendors - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Florida

Came here on Date night. Wanted to bring my new lady friend somewhere public n safe. Give her a space to feel content n just open possibilities to create beautiful memories. I have never come here for the fair event. But i remember the Magic lights event during xmas. The place got bigger than i am normally used to. They have Huuuge parking now n its free. Gate was $11 just to go in. Staff up front cake with little square points n helped us get faster access with card. It was well executed. My only biggie was No map, i know the fair is smaller than the bigger ones like strawberry festival. But we walked around for hours cuz we would stuff by accident. The closest remote to a map was a event board. With a simplistic map ish. Just open gps better. Has rides for teenagers and a whole area for kids also. Food was kabobs, pizza and bbq. I introduced my lady friend to arepas. She loved them as much as i do. Same vendors i like that come to all florida fairs. Their kabob, street corn and arepa game is the best. I tried their mango in a cup treat and its worth it if u like the chili n tamarin in it. I love that stuff! Vendors were all over, we almost missed some. The jerky tent had high end jerky. We did business there. I also bought from the freeze dried tent. I bought the biggest lemonade cup. Its a freaking bucket! Lol they told us to bring it back on other fairs to get discount refills. Staff was friendly n kind. I had a beautiful time talking to the Apiary gentleman inside the club house. He brought live bees in a cell with honey. We got lucky and watched the limber jack show and part of the circus stuff, missed the car stuff but no biggie. The animals n farm stuff was nice to watch or pet. We both had a great time. Just a huge heads up during the night. The mosquito situation was brutal! O_o wear thick leggings or long pants. Bring a hoodie for night time mosquito battle. Definitely for teens and kids. I did not see alcohol no where! Its ok, it was clean fair type. We loved it. Bring about $100 bucks per head. Ride band is worth it for kids. The per ticket was like arcade rules. $1.50 per ticket but rides were 4+ tickets per ride. Just get the band for the teens. Food was $10 up a pop for individual stuff. I could've snuck food in my panties. Security didn't patted me. I just didn't play the brat games lol you could definitely hide burgers in your bra n undies no joke. They just looked at my bag. I would definitely come back for fair in future. I will be back for the light show next month. read more

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Went for the drive thru Christmas lights. It was crazy busy but there were police officers directing traffic and making sure everyone could turn in. You can buy tickets ahead of time or pay on arrival. Price is per carload. There was a nice selection of light displays. It's a 2 mile loop. There's an area with rides for kids at the end but since our group was adults only we skipped this part and just headed out. read more

Hillsborough County Fair - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Florida

I went here last weekend to embrace the holiday spirit. This is not a place for adults without children to go. Cons: $25 per car for mediocre light display. $5 for approximately 4 ounces of goat food. There are rides. If this is your thing, but tickets, I believe we're $40 for 10. I don't know howany rides this actually get a person. Pro: If you have a van full of small children, they will enjoy themselves There's goats Camels to ride Small collection of booths for last-minute shopping. The best part...The Burton Family light display. It's free and absolutely over the top! 1014 Sydney Road, Valrico read more

Lights are not all that Bought my ticket online charge 25 plus 4 tax More for family and small children read more

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This was a cute little local fair to take my 4yr old son to. It started out with a drive through of theFestival of Lights. He likes it so much that we decided to stay and check out the carnival. The carnival only has about 4 or 5 rides but $20 gets you tickets for all. The feed for the goats was $5 for a cup which is a good enough amount to get you some great pics. The food is fairly priced and there are additional activities for the kiddos including a picture with Santa, face painting, candy cane reindeer making, ornament making and reindeer feed making. Overall my son loved his first experience here and by the time we left he was pooped and fell asleep in the ride home. A great way to spend a few hours with the family. I suggest getting there right before opening at 6pm or even earlier (the entrance line tends to get long). read more

Super hot. Felt like 110. No refunds for any reason, no re-entry so you couldn't go to your car for some ac. Expensive- 2 adults ($45person, $11 fee, $8 secuirty= $115..with the extra fees. Most vendors lost power so little hot food. I'm sure vendors will have complained over lost revenue. No fans. No amusements- riding the mechanical bulls. Medics busy with people passing out from heat. Ambulance called for a young man having heart issues. With no power bathrooms weren't working. Entertainment band had there own generator so there was music- standing tables only. Went to bleachers about 7pm. Got seats on far end. People coming in were stopping and standing in front of bleachers at the fence. Officers did talk to them to move. So we found seats sideline. People still blocking views. Many announcements to stay crouched down. Rodeo was OK. Wouldn't do this again, especially in summer or at such a high price. read more

Absolute *$#@ show getting in. Literally zero flagging to get in off 60 so it's nothing but people cutting line and zero organization so if you enjoy the typical tampa jerks and waiting an hour and half just to get in them this is the place for you read more

Much smaller fair than the Tampa fair grounds. Good place for young kids. Easy parking though. read more

Hillsborough County Fair - Festivals Near Me - Dover, Florida

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This was your typical small town fair. Lots of rides for the kids and livestock to look at. Not bad but not great either. I probably would go again if it wasn't so far. read more