Sunset Music Festival, the EDM weekend that used to anchor Tampa’s Memorial Day calendar, is coming back in a tighter, reworked form and under a new name. Promoters Disco Presents and Sunset Events have announced the relaunch as Sunset On The River, set for February 20–21, 2027, at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. Organizers describe the new version as an intentionally limited waterfront "boutique" festival, with proceeds supporting Tampa-based charity ForHearts Worldwide.
Event details list two nights, February 20–21, 2027, at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, with daily hours from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. and a 21+ age policy, according to Sunset On The River. The site also highlights an early-access sign-up along with a sweepstakes for backstage passes.
New date and riverfront setting
The rebrand shifts a long-running Memorial Day tradition to a winter weekend and trades the concrete of a stadium parking lot for a riverfront park setting. The festival has staged 14 editions across roughly two decades, as reported by Raver Magazine. Organizers paused the event in 2024 while they reimagined the format, according to EDM Identity.
Boutique ambitions and charity tie-in
Instead of chasing maximum headcount, promoters are pitching what they call "boutique waterfront elegance," with a focus on curated music, immersive art installations and upgraded hospitality rather than the high-capacity production of past years. Sunset Events and official festival materials say every ticket will benefit ForHearts Worldwide, a Tampa-based nonprofit that helps provide pacemakers and cardiac care globally, per ForHearts Worldwide.
Tickets and the rollout
Lineup details and ticket on-sale dates have not yet been announced, and fans are being urged to sign up for early-access alerts at Sunset On The River for a chance to win backstage passes. The site emphasizes limited capacity and notes that more information on hospitality options, programming and on-site experiences will roll out in the coming weeks.
What this means for Tampa's festival scene
For years, Sunset drew tens of thousands of fans to the North Lot at Raymond James Stadium and helped mark the unofficial start of summer in Tampa. The move to Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park and a smaller scale points to a pivot toward a more curated, city-facing cultural moment. Past coverage noted that organizers once expected roughly 40,000 attendees at the stadium site, according to St. Pete Catalyst, and the new plan appears to trade mass capacity for a controlled waterfront experience.
