September is finally here and we are getting our first taste of the changing seasons. Sure, summer was great but now it’s time to change gears, send the children back to school, and immediately begin obsessing over all drinks pumpkin flavored. If this change feels a little too sudden try easing into the new season by reminiscing on all the fun July and August in Tampa was for us. Like always, this city gave us two months of fun full of concerts, festivals, and theater performances. If you happened to miss some of the events while away on exotic vacations or hosting your own backyard BBQ don’t feel bad, we went and can totally catch you up to speed on all of Tampa’s best events in July and August – in case you missed it.
Of course July began with the fourth annual Tampa Red, White, and Blue’s festival on July 3. Families and friends all met up at Cotanchobee Park for a day of great music and activities celebrating America’s upcoming independence day. A variety of iconic American foods could be found in the food court giving all attendees something yummy to munch on while watching the parade, live performance by Soulful Artists, purusing local vendors, and my personal favorite a dog fashion show.

Later in the month we followed the yellow brick road to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts where audience members were brought to their feet in a standing ovation of their adaption of The Wizard of Oz. The production was a superb reflection of a timeless show that is beloved by all and included some surprising new twists, including a new musical number.

Tampa ended July with a performance by Counting Crows and Rob Thomas at the Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. The sold out show has fans both old and young falling Accidentally in Love with Counting Crows and harmonizing alongside Rob Thomas as he serenaded them with his live performance of his hit song Her Diamonds.

July wasn’t the only month full of summer fun in Tampa. August was kicked off with the Tampa Bay Comic Con at the Convention Center. This is the sixteenth year in a row our city has hosted this event in which we can all let our inner nerd out, dress as our favorite characters, talk comic books with other fans, and buy cool memorabilia. Celebrity guests included Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead, Ian McDiarmid from Star Wars, and a handful of the cast from Netflix’s original series Daredevil.

We showed our love and support for our city with our annual Tampa Noles Football Kickoff and Block Party. The event which was hosted at the Italian Club of Tampa was a great way to get fans and players pumped up as we head into another football season. The event, which was sponsored by Bud Light and featured seventeen different bars, broke last year’s record of the biggest Tampa party with over 3,000 guests attending.

Tampa was full of many other wonderful events as well this summer season. Even though summer is coming to a close, we have a lot to look forward to in September! For now, let’s revel in our summer memories while anticipating all the joys to come this fall – in case you missed it.

Follow us on Twitter @tampastylemagazine or on Instagram @tampastylemag to stay up-to-date on all Tampa events.