Tampa Bay Empanada Festival — Tastes & Music

St. Petersburg is hosting the Tampa Bay Empanada Festival this weekend, with two days of food, music and family activities at Derby Lane. (ilovetheburg.com) The festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, 2026, from noon to 8 p.m. at Win! Derby at Historic Derby Lane, 10490 Gandy Blvd. N. in St. Petersburg. (ilovetheburg.com) General admission starts at $5 on local event listings, while the organizer’s Eventbrite page lists ticketed entry for the Saturday date. (tampabay.com, eventbrite.com) Organizers say the 2026 event is the fourth annual festival and the first time it has been held in St. Petersburg after its first three years in Tampa. (ilovetheburg.com) The draw is variety: local listings say the event will feature at least 15 empanada vendors from more than 12 countries, while tourism and ticket pages describe more than 50 empanada varieties. (ilovetheburg.com, visitstpeteclearwater.com) Empanadas are stuffed pastries found across Latin America and beyond, and the festival pitches them as a global street-food format rather than a single regional recipe. (visitstpeteclearwater.com, ilovetheburg.com) Beyond food, the program includes live DJs or music, craft beer, cocktails, a market, an empanada-eating contest and kid-friendly games including cornhole and giant Jenga. (ilovetheburg.com, visitstpeteclearwater.com) Sunday’s listing at the venue says admission is free for the April 19 session, a detail that differs from some other calendars and suggests visitors should check the ticket page before going. (win-derby.com, tampabay.com) For St. Petersburg, the weekend adds another food festival to a busy spring events calendar, this time built around one handheld pastry and a noon-to-evening crowd at Derby Lane. (ilovetheburg.com, ilovetheburg.com)