Hunahpu Day 2016

My favorite festival in existence! Putting it on the calendar...

 

Dammit this seems like it would be a perfect time to visit @MHorridge, but with my first child due in January I doubt this would be a good idea lol.

 

i wonder how many people this will allow, funky buddha is doing 4,000... which seems like an enormous amount of people.

 

It could hold a bunch, big area, not sure how they will close this off but a great spot along the river. I think there have been other beer fests here before. I assume the venue will add to the cost, but it will be worth it

 

Well, $350 for a fest & four bottles... NBD

 

already booked my hotel room!

 

Damn hotels are expensive. Any locals know the best places to stay for this location?

 

OH!!! This was the festival I went to last year! It was a lot of fun even though it was crowded. Glad to see they are doing in (what I assume is) a bigger venue.

Tickets were pretty steep last year, good thing my husband will be paying for this!

 

me too!

 

C'mon down, brother! She'll understand. This event is MONTHS after the baby is born.

Kidding. Your thinking is right on target.

 

Fri, Mar 11, Flyers at Lightning, 7:30. Walk to everything from the Marriott. $$$$$$. Just checked their site. $299 per night, 2 ppl.

 

If cost isn't an object, the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel is RIGHT there and the Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown is a block away. The Westin Tampa Harbour Island is a stone's throw and the Hilton Tampa Downtown, Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk and Aloft Tampa Downtown are a short walk. Still downtown -- longer walks or maybe hotel-shuttle rides -- are Le Meridien, Courtyard Tampa Downtown, Residence Inn Tampa Downtown and The Barrymore Hotel.

The park is on the south side of Amalie Arena (where the Tampa Bay Lightning play) between the Marriott Waterside and the Tampa Bay History Center. The Florida Craft Brewers Guild Fest has been there; it's a terrific location.

If the hotels I've listed are too expensive and/or booked, just find something you like out near the Westshore Business District and hop an Uber into downtown. There may be less-expensive options in the Busch Gardens/USF area of north Tampa, though it can be sketchy up that way. (There's a Hilton within walking distance of CCB and a new hotel -- can't remember its name; don't know its opening date -- going up right next to it.)

 

Anyone interested in carpooling from around the Atlanta area?

 

Already booked my Designated Driver!!

 

My least favorite festival in existence. Putting it on my calendar so I can be sure to avoid.

 

Why would you even put it on your calendar then? Is there a chance you'll just happen into downtown Tampa to the riverfront park from South Carolina on that day? Odd.

 

Wow, I would love to see what else you have on your calendar.

 

I have a feeling this year will be much bigger with the change in venue. I hope that isn't the case, as the festival was much improved last year with less tickets and a higher cost. I hope it trends more toward last year than other previous years. I've been the past 2 years, but will probably pass if there are a ton of tickets.

 

Oddly enough, this happened to me in 2009 for the first Hunahpu release. I was visiting my grandmother at her retirement home in Largo and happened into Cigar City on the day of the very first release. The guy at the counter told me I should buy this bottle of beer that was supposed to be one of the best beers in the world. I asked how much it was and was told $20. Not knowing much about the craft beer industry at that point, my internal response was f**k you. I kindly left without a bottle.

That evening, we played bingo at the retirement home and I told my wife if I won $20 we were going back for a bottle. I ended up winning over $40 (the other residents were not fond of me after this), so we went back the next day and picked up two bottles. No crowds, no lines, no limits, but I didn't realize what I had. I opened the first bottle and thoroughly enjoyed; the second kicked off what has become a 6-year trading frenzy.

All of this to say, I suppose wandering in could happen. I had an unexpectedly fun time in 2009, but would never attend an event of the magnitude it's arisen to to get a bottle of Hunahpu.