Things To Do In Tampa This Weekend: Best Festivals & Events Going On

NCAA March Madness—First Round
Friday, March 20, 12:30 p.m.–11:30 p.m.
March Madness hits Tampa like a caffeinated tornado in sneakers, with a full day of bracket-wrecking panic, last-second heroics, and the sort of emotional damage college basketball delivers with almost theatrical cruelty. Expect powerhouse programs, upset-minded underdogs, and enough beautiful chaos to make your blood pressure file a formal complaint.

Glow Putt Putt*
Friday, March 20, 6 p.m.–10 p.m.
Glow mini-golf is taking over Water Street and Sparkman Wharf, which means your usual putt-putt humiliation now comes with neon lights, themed cocktails, live music, and the energy of a very unserious sports movie. For $10, you get nine glowing holes, a rented putter, and a chance to look wildly competitive while missing a tiny plastic ball by an almost impressive margin.

Emo Night Brooklyn
Friday, March 20, 8 p.m.–10 p.m.
A full-scale pop-punk feelings crisis is coming to Tampa, where the playlist is all eyeliner, heartbreak, and songs you still know so well it’s honestly a bit concerning. Enjoy screaming, dancing, dramatic nostalgia, and the sort of communal catharsis that feels like group therapy if group therapy had a mosh pit and much worse decision-making.

Rides by the River
Saturday, March 21, 8 a.m.–11 a.m.
Armature Works turns into a chrome-coated parade of collector cars, hot rods, imports, and exotics, which is wonderful news if you enjoy horsepower and men explaining torque with near-religious intensity. There will be hundreds of eye-popping vehicles, local vendors, and the kind of leisurely morning stroll where every few steps involves someone muttering, quite correctly, “that is a ridiculous car.”

The Adrenaline Experience*
Saturday, March 21, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Half a day of legal, high-octane chaos awaits at The Motor Enclave, where high-performance cars, timed autocross, and pro-led hot laps turn casual curiosity into full-body adrenaline. It’s part motorsports playground, part adrenaline buffet, and entirely designed for anyone who has ever looked at a racetrack and thought, quite reasonably, “yes, I would like to make my heart do that.”

Breakfast Club at Market
Saturday, March 21, 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Brunch gets a wellness rebrand at Market at EDITION, where DJs, mocktails, juices, and polished little bites combine into a Saturday scene that feels suspiciously put-together. Expect daytime beats, very attractive egg bites, and the sort of stylish Saturday energy that suggests you absolutely have your life together, even if that is wildly untrue.

Tampa’s Premier Teen Driving Academy*
Saturday, March 21, 2 p.m.–6 p.m.
Learning to drive gets a much smarter upgrade at The Motor Enclave, where teens tackle emergency braking, skid recovery, and real-world safety skills long before the road starts testing them for real. It’s a smart, practical crash course in staying calm and driving safely, with professional instructors and Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office guidance helping teens build real confidence before the road starts grading them itself.

Elsewhere at Revivery*
Saturday, March 21, 6:30 PM – 9:15 PM
Oldsmar gets a very different kind of nightlife option here, swapping booze and blaring DJs for sauna sessions, cold plunges, mocktails, and the unnervingly novel concept of actually having a real conversation. With contrast therapy, curated music, and a tea-and-integration close, this feels less like a party in the usual sense and more like a stylish reset for people tired of shouting over nonsense.

NCAA March Madness—Second Round
Sunday, March 22, Time TBD
The NCAA tournament’s second round is where nerves fray, dreams wobble, and every possession starts to feel like a tiny public referendum on your entire season. Tampa gets the full glorious madness here, with Sweet 16 stakes, roaring crowds, and the sort of late-game chaos that can reduce perfectly reasonable adults to pacing, shouting, and spiritual collapse.

Sunday Morning Market at Westshore Marina District
Sunday, March 22, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Spend your morning wandering through a curated collection of seventy vendors where you can buy a decorative succulent and immediately begin the countdown to its inevitable demise. This dog-friendly gathering offers live music, food trucks, and a variety of artisanal crafts, making it the ideal place to walk in circles around a marina while carrying a very expensive loaf of sourdough bread.

Chicken Yoga with Yoga Loft Tampa and Ybor Misfits
Sunday, March 22, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Yoga gets significantly more chaotic and more adorable at Hotel Haya as chickens roam the room while you attempt to hold poses with dignity. Proceeds support the Ybor Misfits Microsanctuary, so you can feel noble while a diapered hen judges your downward dog like it’s the Olympics.

Martin Lawrence Live!
Sunday, March 22, 8 p.m.–10 p.m.
Comedic genius Martin Lawrence is bringing his “Y’all Still Know What It Is!” tour to Tampa, which means a night of sharp punchlines, big-stage charisma, and the kind of crowd laughter that leaves people briefly incapable of functioning like adults. It’s a chance to see a comedy icon do what he does best, turning everyday absurdity into a very public reminder that life is, at its core, completely ridiculous.