Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Tampa Downtown Partnership is celebrating 15 years of Rock the Park, a free monthly music series in downtown Tampa featuring all genres and appealing to all ages.
This year’s anniversary concert will take place Sept. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at Curtis Hixon Downtown Waterfront Park. It will feature Barely Legal Collective, a high-energy genre-blending show; Sooza Brass Band, a six-piece from Gainesville featuring a hybrid of funk, jazz and metal, self-described as “Brass Funk”; and Have Gun, Will Travel, an Americana/folk band featured in PBS’s Roadtrip Nation and in a national Chevy commercial.
The anniversary show will also feature an art walk, live painting by MA Art, and food trucks including JAM DISH and Boy Named Sous.
“Rock the Park is about more than just music, it’s about community,” said Kenyetta Hairston-Bridges, President and CEO of the Tampa Downtown Partnership.
“Though I’ve only been in my role a little over a year, I’ve quickly seen how special this tradition is. For 15 years, Rock the Park has brought residents and visitors together to share in the energy, creativity, and diversity that defines Tampa’s Downtown. This anniversary is a chance to celebrate the past while looking forward to many more years of music in Downtown.”
In honor of its 15th year, Rock the Park is offering the first 100 attendees a free vintage Rock the Park shirt, designed by some of the artists who have performed in the series throughout the years.
Since its inception in 2010, Rock the Park has become a Tampa staple. Held on the first Thursday of every month, the series is produced in collaboration with Brokenmold Entertainment, which has been working on the event since it began.
