Gecko Fest in Gulfport Florida - Part I of II

Saturday we took a trip to the annual Gecko Fest in Gulfport, Florida - always a fun event.

 Imagine partying with green lizards and droves of pirates come ashore, music in all genres, there were at least three maybe five or more different bands. The bars and restaurants full to bursting and the sidewalk cafe's spilling into the street.

Booths as far as you could see, cool, coastal art, island fun and your choice of food booths.

There was not a dog, child, man or woman in the small harbor town of Gulfport, Florida who did not participate in this event.

The smell of popcorn and coffee (there was a local grower's humongous coffee roaster/grinder - selling coffee beans) drifted about, mingling with mouthwatering smells of barbeque and hot dogs permeating the air.

At a hot 90 degrees, skimpy clothing, water bottles, sunhats and lotion liberally applied were the order of the day. 

Island music greeted us near the waterfront,

onward

to see the big blown up green Geico lizard

kids and grandpa's stopped

to take their photo with the notorious, lovable green icon.

 

 

On the way we spotted

pirate costumes, 

 

... stopped at rows upon rows

of tropical, artsy, crazy,  

cool, fun stuff by local artists and vendors 

 

  

 

Those hoops sure were popular among old and young alike:)

 

 

 

      and of course, food tents galore.

 

 

 

 

The sidewalk cafes were overflowing and you couldn't hardly get a seat in any of the restaurants in all of Gulfport - we finally managed a table at Pia's Trattoria. 

 Click here for pics, directions and my colorful review of Pia's Trattoria. Great Italian food, oozing with charm and ambiance.

  

Next time

I want to be up on this rooftop too

(to take more sunset shots:).

 

One of the many shops open late for the event

a mix of local art and

a unique collection of home decor

at a store called the  "Domain".

 

Cool seahorse .....

 

 

Mindboggling array ...

 

Overall, I swear they had twice as many booths then last year,

I was on cute - amazing - oh you gotta see this - overload.

 

Enough shopping ...

come along for our evening walk

on the waterfront, out to the pier.

 

The Pier

 in Gulfport, Florida

a popular spot

  

 

 A great place for an evening stroll.

 

The grand ole flag at the pier

blowing in the wind...

 

... ending with a pretty Florida sunset

complete with sailboats ...

 

... and palm trees ...

We returned from our sunset walk by the waterfront

to have one last drink, sitting on the veranda of a local hotel,

listening to the familiar old tunes of 

a soul music band playing in the garden.

 

Like the sign says ...

"You will love this place"

 

If you visit the Tampa Bay Area don't miss out on this charming seaside resort. It's only about 45 minutes from Tampa and Clearwater and there's always something happening on the art and festival scene.

Click here to view the official Gulfport website 

 

Part two to follow soon - thanks for looking!

All images © Rose Hill