The South Florida Fair and Gasparilla Carnival opened in Tampa on this date in 1921. In July of 1904 the South Florida Fair Association was formed, and plans for a new exhibition hall, a stadium, a coliseum, and stock stalls were developed. After a few short years, it became known as the Mid-Winter Festival. In 1915, when Articles of Incorporation for the South Florida Fair and Gasparilla Carnival were filed with the Secretary of State’s office in Tallahassee, the fair became known simply as the Florida State Fair. Except for a couple of years during World War II, the fair has been held every year since its inception in 1904. In its first years, the fair took place on a two-acre plot in downtown Tampa, near the University of Tampa. At that time, Tampa’s renowned Gasparilla Parade started and ended at the fairgrounds site.
~Florida Historical Society
