Frequently Asked Questions

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The Spring Break Waterfront Festival usually takes place over spring break every year, but in 2025, it’s scheduled the week BEFORE Pinellas County’s spring break. 

This year the festival is scheduled Thursday (3/13) through Sunday (3/16), with Battle of the Bands kicking off the event on Thursday (3/13)!

Battle of the Bands starts at 4pm, and is schedule until 9pm that day. 

• REGISTERED BANDS — can arrive as early as 330pm (1st band in the lineup must arrive at no later than 330pm so we can sound check)
• ATTENDEES — doors open at 4pm!

You can find paid parking at the following locations:

• 200 Rex Place - $10
• 300 Municipal Drive - $10
• Winn-Dixie reserved area - $10
• Archibald Memorial Beach Park - $3/hr
• Madeira Way & Gulf Bivd. - Metered Parking

Attending the Spring Break Waterfront Festival and Battle of the Bands is completely free! 

However, festival-goers should expect to pay for nearby parking, tickets/wristbands for carnival rides, food, drinks, and games — but the entertainment portion of the festival won't cost you anything!

Registration opened on December 6th, 2024, and closes on Thursday, February 20th, 2025 — so click on the “BAND REGISTRATION” tab to register your band online! If you have any questions please reach out to the BOTB Director at springbreakbotb@gmail.com!

Yes — this year we’re allowing bands of the following age groups:

• Elementary School (ages 7-11)
• Middle School (ages 11-14)
• High School (ages 14-18)
• Young Adult (ages 18-25)

If we have bands register for each age group, we will be splitting these age groups into TWO categories for the competition:

• RISING STARS — Elementary & Middle School
• LEGENDS IN THE MAKING — High School & Young Adult

*Note: If we don’t end up with any Rising Stars-aged bands this year, then there will only be one category (and one winner).

ABSOLUTELY! In these cases, we’ve been instructing bands to register as follows:

1) Register for the category in which the majority of the band members fall under:

• Example: Three band members are between 14-18yo & one band member is 19yo
• REGISTER AS “HIGH SCHOOL” (LEGENDS IN THE MAKING CATEGORY)

2) If half the band members would be in the RISING STARS category & half the band members would be in the LEGENDS IN THE MAKING category, register for the LOWER category (to keep things as fair for the younger musicians as possible):

• Example: two band members are 12yo & two band members are 10yo
• REGISTER AS “ELEMENTARY SCHOOL” (RISING STARS CATEGORY)

3) If you’re unsure and want confirmation before you register, feel free to reach out to the BOTB Director at springbreakbotb@gmail.com for further assistance.

Check out the “BAND REGISTRATION” page for instructions on how to register your band(s) — make sure you complete their registration before band registration closes on February 20th, 2025!

In the meantime, we’d recommend following us on social media @springbreakBOTB for updates/announcements leading up to the event!

We’ll share info on the registered bands after band registration ends on February 20th, 2025 — and we’ll share the official 2025 BOTB lineup between 2/27-3/7 — so stay up-to-date on everything by bookmarking our website and following us on social media @springbreakBOTB for updates!

Band promos, bios, photos, & social media pages will be included, so once everything’s been posted, be sure to check everyone out on social media and show them some love! 

We are still looking to secure sponsors — big and small — for the 2025 BOTB! 

• Please contact the BOTB Director at springbreakbotb@gmail.com for more information on how you can help support this event! 

Need inspiration? — Check out the “2024 SPONSORS” page to see who was involved in last year’s event! 

• Our In-Kind & Benefactor sponsors from 2024 BOTB helped make the event bigger and better than ever before, so if you’d like to be a part of the 2025 BOTB, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!!

Funds we receive through our sponsors & donations will be used to promote this year’s event, and any rollover funds will be held to ensure that future BOTB’s continue to grow year after year! 

Sponsor logos will be included on all advertising leading up to/the day of the event, as well as included on any merch we’re able to make — but more information on the areas sponsorship funds will be used are outlined below:

• Online Advertising — spreading the reach within the community will allow the event to grow year after year, giving more bands an opportunity to participate! 
• Flyers — we place event flyers within the community (such as at local venues, restaurants, businesses, and with our sponsors) to help spread the word!
• Merchandise — if we acquire enough sponsorships/donations from the community, we intend to make merchandise that would be available to registered bands, band supporters, & festival-goers before/during/after the event! 
• Professional Photography — we’ve had an AMAZING local photographer, Ivan Washington, take professional pictures of our incredible bands, audience members, staff/volunteers, and judges over the last five years, so our entire online presence and overall “face“ of BOTB is attributed to the amazing photographs he’s taken during the event!

Yes, donations of all shapes & sizes are welcome and greatly appreciated! 

We accept:

• IN-KIND DONATIONS — an amazing way to promote your business while also supporting the local music community!
• MONETARY DONATIONS — we’ll accept monetary donations of all sizes, which is another way to promote your business while supporting our music community! Our different sponsorship packages offer tiered promotional benefits, so check out the “SPONSORS” page for more information!
• AUCTION ITEMS — if you have bigger items you’re interested in donating (that can’t be split between winning band members), let us know! Any auction items donated to BOTB will be featured on our Givebutter fundraising website, so feel free to reach out to us for more information if you’d like to participate!

Examples of In-Kind donations:

• Gift Cards for Services You Provide — movie theaters, trampoline/skating rinks, museums/aquariums, arcades/gaming places, water parks, etc. 
• If you’re open to donating:

1. Something to each member of the winning band in each category — then we would add those to the overall prize packages for the event!
2. One big item to the overall event — then we’d hold an auction for that item mid-way during event to raise funds before & during BOTB! (more info TBA)

All sponsors will have their business logos, bios, websites, & social media profiles featured on our website, and sponsors will be given a unique a shout out post on our social media profiles!

In addition, bigger event sponsors will be featured on:

• BOTB advertisements posted online
• Event flyers placed within the community
• Any merchandise we’re able to create/sell before & during the event 

Sponsors at higher sponsorship tiers will also be given a chance to speak about their business on stage between bands — so reach out to the BOTB Director at springbreakbotb@gmail.com to find out how you & your business can be featured ON STAGE at BOTB!

You can find us on ALL social media platforms at @springbreakBOTB, and we’d appreciate as many likes, follows, & subscribers as we can get to help spread the word!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• YouTube
• TikTok