The final event of Tampa's Gasparilla season was the awesome Festival of the Arts.

This gathering took place in the heart of the city and couldn't have happened on a better weekend. The weather was perfect. And the high-caliber artwork made for an enjoyable experience.

I attended the event on both Saturday and Sunday. Originally I thought I would be able to breeze through the show in a couple of hours. After three hours of walking and gawking, I barely managed to cover half the show. Being short on meter time, as well as pocket change, I found a new place to park and resumed my inspection for an additional hour.

The next day I knew what I was up against. The collection of artists had been much bigger than I anticipated. Over 300 to be exact. I made sure to arrive early and then proceeded to visit booths for six full hours. In the process I talked to virtually every artist I had an interest in. They were all really sensational people, each with an enlightening perspective. Some, I even remembered from art fairs of the past.

All in all, the Gasparilla Festival of the Arts was a top-notch show. Certainly as fine as any other I have encountered.