Oktoberfest Took Over Curtis Hixon for Halloween Weekend. Here's Where Downtown Tampa's Halloween Moved.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, October 30, Fran Haasch and a special guest tap the first keg at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, and the lawn becomes a gated biergarten for the weekend. Most months, Curtis Hixon is where downtown goes for free events. Rock the Park fills it on the first Thursday of every month at no charge. From Friday afternoon through Sunday evening this year, getting in costs money, and that weekend happens to be Halloween.

That changes Halloween downtown. If you want the festival, buy a ticket and plan your Saturday around it. If you want Halloween without the ticket, it's on the edges of downtown, at Sparkman Wharf, across the river at the University of Tampa, and at the Florida Aquarium.

How a Bad-Weather Forecast Put a Biergarten on Halloween

Oktoberfest Tampa was originally set for October 9 through 11. That's So Tampa reported on October 8 that, with bad weather forecast all weekend, organizers moved the 17th annual festival to October 30, 31 and November 1. The City of Tampa's event listing now marks the event "Scheduled" for those dates at 600 N. Ashley Drive. If you bought tickets for the original dates, the City listing addresses that directly:

"All pre-sale tickets purchased for previously scheduled event dates are honored and valid."

The organizers didn't scale the festival back to fit a holiday weekend. They added Halloween programming instead. Saturday night now includes a new Krampus dance by the Schuplattler group, which the City lists as a special performance on Halloween night.

Three Days at Curtis Hixon, Day by Day

General admission starts at $10, according to That's So Tampa. The festival's FAQ lists a $10 one-day ticket and a $25 GA weekend pass. The weekend pass makes sense mainly for someone who plans to go more than twice.

Saturday runs 12 hours and has the biggest program of the three days, so it will draw the biggest crowd on the night when the rest of downtown is out in costume. Sunday closes at 6 p.m. and is built around families.

The City listing also details what's inside the gate. There's a full Bavarian food hall, Oktoberfest-style beers from Green Bench and Coppertail, and Bavarian Games that are free to play once you're inside. VIP guests this year use the Tampa International Airport VIP Lounge, which has a private bar, A/C restrooms and stein refills. Active and retired members of the Armed Forces and City of Tampa first responders from TPD, TFR and EMS get in free with a spouse by showing ID at the gate.

The children's policy needs a check before you bring kids. One line of the City listing calls the festival a 21-and-up event, and the next says kids 12 and under get in free with a parent. The same listing describes a Kinder Zone with the GiGi and Friends entertainment stage, free pumpkin painting at The Barrymore Hotel Kinder Pumpkin Patch, free face painting and a free art wall. If you're planning a family visit, confirm the age policy with the organizers first. Sunday's Family Day is the day built around kids.

Halloween Outside the Gate Is on the Edges

With Curtis Hixon gated, the Halloween events that don't need an Oktoberfest ticket are at three spots around the outside of the core.

Sparkman Wharf, Friday night. The Sparkman Wharf events calendar lists a Halloween Movie on the Lawn, Pirates of the Caribbean, on Friday, October 30, from 5 to 9 p.m. Live music follows on Saturday, October 31, from 1 to 5 p.m. The movie starts an hour after the Oktoberfest keg tapping, so you can catch the opening at Curtis Hixon and still make the start of the movie.

University of Tampa, Friday at 6 p.m. Tampa Downtown Partnership lists a Trunk-or-Treat at Bob Martinez Athletics Center. Costumes are encouraged, the whole Tampa Bay community is invited to trick-or-treat with UTampa Athletics teams, and parking is free. The venue is at 400 North Boulevard, across the Hillsborough River from Curtis Hixon. For families with young kids, it's the free option downtown on Friday.

The Florida Aquarium, through Saturday. Guppyween runs through October 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Costumed children get in free with a paying parent or guardian, and the aquarium offers free trick-or-treating on Halloween itself. With a 5 p.m. close, it works for a daytime Saturday, and it's done before Oktoberfest's Halloween-night program starts.

1. Trunk-or-Treat at Bob Martinez Athletics Center at 6 p.m., with free parking on site.
2. Dinner downtown afterward, and at that hour the newest choice is a few blocks off Curtis Hixon.
3. If you have energy left, the end of the movie on the lawn at Sparkman Wharf, which runs until 9 p.m.

Where to Eat Between the Park and the Wharf

Two of the newest restaurants downtown are close to this weekend's events.

Rreal Tacos opened to the public on Tuesday, October 13, at 808 N. Franklin St., in the former Haiku space, according to That's So Tampa. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to midnight, closing at 11 p.m. on Sundays. The Atlanta-born concept serves street tacos on handmade tortillas, a two-taco combo with rice and beans for $10, birria and a full kids menu, and it will make any drink as a pitcher. Tampa is its 13th location. That's So Tampa suggested a reservation during opening week. On the busiest weekend downtown has had since the restaurant opened, booking ahead still makes sense. Because it's open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, it can serve as dinner before the festival or a meal after it closes.

The other end of the weekend is on Water Street. Creative Loafing Tampa reported that Pura Vida Miami opened its first Tampa Bay location at 1038 Water St. on September 10. The Miami-born café was founded by Omer Horev. For a family heading to Guppyween on Saturday morning, it's in the Water Street district, the same part of downtown as the aquarium.

Getting Around When the Park Is Fenced

The Oktoberfest FAQ points festivalgoers to hourly parking in the Poe Garage, Rivergate Tower Garage and Fort Brooke Garage, and says weekend street meters north of Kennedy Boulevard are free. The FAQ isn't dated, so check the posted signs at the meter before you leave the car.

If you live downtown, the bigger question is whether to drive at all on Saturday. The City's TECO Line Streetcar page lists free service every 15 minutes, running until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and until 11 p.m. on Sunday. It also says extra service for events is announced in advance. That page is several years old, so check for current hours and any event service before Friday. The Pirate Water Taxi runs daily departures starting at 11:30 a.m. along the river, which covers Saturday afternoon trips between the Riverwalk stops.

The Next Week, the Park Is Free Again

Once the festival tents come down after Sunday's 6 p.m. close, downtown's parks go back to their regular monthly free events, starting with the first week of November.

• Wednesday, Nov. 4. The Mayor's Food Truck Party returns to Lykes Gaslight Square Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It's the first Wednesday of every month, and the November truck lineup is already posted.
• Thursday, Nov. 5. Rock the Park is back at Curtis Hixon at 6 p.m. This free series has run for more than 15 years through a partnership between Tampa Downtown Partnership and Brokenmold Entertainment.
• Thursday, Nov. 12. Water Street's fourth annual Season Spectacular runs from 5 to 9 p.m. at 971 Water St. The free holiday lighting night includes music, workshops and storefront activations.
• Sunday, Nov. 15. The Market brings more than 60 local vendors to Water Street from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., free.

Later in the month, Curtis Hixon hosts Winter Village, which is free to attend. Only the ice rink requires paid admission. The Shops of Winter Village feature local small businesses, and Shop Small Weekend runs November 27 to 29 from noon to 4 p.m. with local vendors, artists and young entrepreneurs.

If you're thinking about what a condo near Curtis Hixon or Water Street is worth on a weekend like this, Skyler Warden can walk you through it. Let's Connect.