On Saturday and Sunday, the eight-acre plot will be transformed into the bustling bazaar known as the Raymond James Gasparilla Festival of the Arts. Like the medieval festivals of times past, people will come from near and far with tents to display and sell their wares, which, unlike the medieval fairs, won't include livestock. There will be plenty of pottery (formally called ceramics), jewelry, wood, metal works and fiber, just like the old days, as well as paintings, prints, glass and photography.

More than 1,000 artists vie for one of the 230 spaces at the festival because it offers some of the largest cash awards on the festival circuit, $74,500 total with $15,000 for Best in Show. That spurs high attendance, which averages about 100,000 a year according to the Gasparilla committee's estimates.