As part of opening weekend, all ten of the new food and beverage concepts from the city’s top chefs and restaurateurs, housed in repurposed shipping containers, as well as Fermented Reality, an outdoor biergarten with over 30 taps that promote Florida’s craft beers, will be open. The park’s opening date was determined to account for logistics considerations, such as ongoing construction, tenant requirements, the Thanksgiving holiday, and programming availability, and most importantly, the ability to deliver guests an excellent experience.

Additionally, the waterfront recreational lawn will showcase a wide range of programming from its band stage and larger-than-life LED screen including regularly scheduled music events, and broadcasting of sporting events, including Tampa Bay Lightning games. In addition, the lawn will be a hub of community activity, including regular fitness classes, beginning with CAMP fitness’ inaugural CAMP Games planned for December 1, 2018, seasonal festivities, markets, movies on the lawn, and more.

Sparkman Wharf will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. It will also be open on any day there is a Tampa Bay Lightning home game or event at the Amalie Arena.

“We are thrilled to announce the grand opening date of Sparkman Wharf and celebrate the first of many milestones for the Water Street Tampa neighborhood,” said James Nozar, CEO of developer Strategic Property Partners, LLC. “We anticipate that Sparkman Wharf will become a focal point and gathering place not only for visitors and the neighborhood, but the city and region at large. Sparkman Wharf celebrates Tampa Bay – the culinary talent, the craft beer scene, the weather, and the waterfront, and we could not be more excited to share Sparkman Wharf with the larger community.”

At Sparkman Wharf, guests will delight in carefully curated mix of cuisines, ensuring that there’s something to spark every taste bud within the dining garden, including cold brew, espresso and more at Foundation Coffee; house-made gelato, acai bowls, and gourmet ice pops at Whatever Pops; modern swigs and seafoodie bits at Chef Jeannie Pierola’s edison’s Swigamajig divebar and fishkitchen; Detroit style pizza at The Corners Pizza; roadside classics served up at restauranteur Dave Burton’s Flock & Stock; fresh, Vietnamese- French fusion dishes by Chef BT Nguyen at BT in a Box; tapas at Montados, crafted by the dynamic duo behind Mise en Place Maryann Ferenc and Chef Marty Blitz; Boat Run Oyster Company created by SaltBlock Hospitality; and, a modern taqueria Gallito, by Chef Ferrell Alvarez of Rooster & the Till.

In addition to the park, Sparkman Wharf will also be home to 180,000 square feet of new waterfront lofty office space and 65,000 square feet of new ground-level retail space lining the park and Channelside Drive.

Sparkman Wharf is named after Stephen Sparkman, one of Tampa’s original movers and shakers who forever changed the economic and physical landscape of downtown Tampa, Sparkman Wharf celebrates the disruptors and people who do things differently to push Tampa.

Feel a spark? Follow @SparkmanWharf onInstagram, Facebook, and Twitter or sign up for the newsletter at SparkmanWharf.com to stay up to speed with everything planned for Sparkman Wharf.

Sparkman Wharf features 180,000 square feet of reimagined, spacious loft-style office space, 65,000 square feet of ground-level retail, and a one- acre dynamic park-like environment, which will feature an intimate dining garden, biergarten, and lawn for recreation, situated in a relaxed, outdoor setting along the waterfront at the intersection of the Garrison Channel, Ybor Turning Basin, and Sparkman Channel in downtown Tampa. The dining garden will feature ten of Tampa’s best restauranteurs and chefs experimenting with new culinary concepts. Sparkman Wharf is owned and operated by Strategic Property Partners, LLC, the partnership between Cascade Investment LLC, and Jeff Vinik. SPP is a full-service commercial real estate development firm based in Tampa, Florida. Feel the spark? Learn more about Sparkman Wharf at SparkmanWharf.com and follow @SparkmanWharf on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.