The show must go on: Gasparilla Music Festival rocks downtown Tampa despite coronavirus concerns
TAMPA, Fla. - Should you stay or should you go? It’s a question those attending the Gasparilla Music Festival in downtown Tampa didn’t ponder long despite concerns over coronavirus.
Organizers are expecting more than 20,000 people over the course of the weekend. But, 200 miles south of Tampa it’s a much different story.
Miami's mayor announced that the Ultra Festival, one of the state's largest events of its kind, is canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus.
"We are doing it in an abundance of caution,” explained Mayor Francis X. Suarez. “Public gatherings can pose a risk by increasing person to person contact."
In Austin, Texas the South-by-Southwest festival is also called off.
"It's a really important event to our city in a lot of ways and tied to who we are in the city and I really look forward to the next iteration of South by Southwest," said Austin Mayor Steve Adler.
Gasparilla Music Festival organizers said in response to concerns over the virus, they doubled the number of handwashing stations and are also handing out free hand sanitizer.
The Gasparilla Music Festival ramps back up at 11 a.m. on Sunday.