If you're planning a drive near the Tampa Convention Center between Wednesday and Friday, get ready to play some carpool karaoke, because you'll be spending extra time in traffic. The center is rolling out the red carpet for the return of the Florida State Thespian Festival, which will see a throng of high school students embarking on a three-day journey of theater workshops, performances, and professional development sessions. This year, the festival is bigger than ever, with thousands of theater kids taking the spotlight, but remember, it's not a public ticketed event—it's strictly for those who've already registered to attend.
As the curtain rises on the festival, roads around the Tampa Convention Center will become the backstage of urban mobility, bustling with attendees heading to related venues, including the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and Tampa Theatre. The morning and late afternoon traffic will especially feel like a prolonged intermission, as per an announcement from City of Tampa officials. While students are treading the proverbial boards, Tampa Police will be orchestrating the pedestrian flow like a well-timed theatrical production.
Whether you're a local to the Tampa area or just passing through, the best plan of action is to chart a course around the convention center during these dates.
It's showtime for Tampa's theater-loving youth, and while that's a reason to celebrate the arts, it's no cause for jubilation if you're stuck behind the wheel, so take this as your cue to plan accordingly, and actors aren't the only ones who should heed their call times—drivers need to factor in these traffic changes to their travel times as well, so don't let a lack of forethought turn your routine commute into a tragic soliloquy of lateness, especially if you’re responsible for dropping off a young star at the festival.
