SAVE THE DATES
May 15 - Nomination ballot opens
June 11 - Nomination ballot closed (BALLOT NOW CLOSED)
Email botb@cltampa.com to see if you made it to the voting round.
July 17 - Voting ballot opens
August 20 - Voting ballot closes at midnight
September 24 - Party at The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Issue
September 25th on cltampa.com
PARTY WITH THE BEST.
SAMPLE THE BEST.
CELEBRATE THE BEST!
BEST OF THE BAY
Best of the Bay Party
Wed., Sept. 24th, 2025
Presented by the Seminole Hard Rock Event Center at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel
VIP Admission: 6:00 p.m. to 10 p.m.
GA Admission: 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Creative Loafing's annual Best of the Bay Party is back! Join us in celebrating the Tampa Bay area's best local people, places, businesses, events, & more—voted by YOU.
Get your hands on a copy of CL's annual Best of the Bay issue, sample your way around Tampa Bay area bites & drinks, rub elbows with prominent locals, enjoy local live entertainment & so much more!
This is a cocktail-style event.
VIP Admission includes:
• Early entry at 6:00 p.m.
• Access to 2025 BOTB Awards Pickup
• Complimentary passed hors d'oeuvres during VIP-only hour from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• 2 complimentary drinks
• VIP swag bag filled with lots of goodies from local businesses
• Mix & mingle with Tampa Bay’s key players
• Food & drink sampling by Tampa Bay’s best
• Live local entertainment
• & more!
General Admission includes:
• Entry at 7:00 p.m.
• Access to 2025 BOTB Awards Pickup
• Mix & mingle with Tampa Bay’s key players
• Food & drink sampling by Tampa Bay’s best
• Live local entertainment
• & more!
2025 PARTY SPONSORS
Email leigh@cltampa.com for 2024 sponsorship packages
2025 Sampling and Experiences! More coming soon!
Email leigh@cltampa.com for sampling & experience opportunities.
BOTB FAQs
The 2025 ballot can be found at vote.cltampa.com. We will hold open nominations from May 15th, 2025 through June 11, 2025. The top 10 nominees in each category will make it to the voting round on July 17th, 2025. The nominee with the most votes in that specific category during the voting around will walk away with that title for 2025.
It’s important to keep in mind that the nominations you’re able to vote on during the voting phase are submitted by the PUBLIC. We hold a month-long open nominations period from May to June where we accept thousands of nominations! Only the top 10 nominees with the most nominations move on to the voting phase.
Yes! Best of the Bay is split up into two sets of awards: Readers’ Picks and Critics’ Picks. The Readers’ Picks Awards (what YOU get to vote on) are submitted and voted on by the public; the person/place/business/thing/etc. with the most votes in that specific category walks away with that title for 2025. The Critics’ Pick Awards are curated awards selected by Creative Loafing staff. We do not accept nominations for these awards and, instead, are some of our staff’s favorite things about the Tampa Bay area right now.
The finalists in each category will be contacted with an exclusive discount code to join us at Best of the Bay Party. If you're a nominee, please check your spam! The winners will be announced in our annual Best of the Bay Issue, which we're releasing at the party! We provided a public form where the top 10 nominees can submit their contact info to make sure we have the most up-to-date contact on file. Please share your contact information here.
Yes, we're hosting the party this year! No, we do not host a formal awards ceremony. Instead, we party with the best! The Best of the Bay Party is a 21-and-up cocktail-style event featuring food and drink samples, local entertainment, and more. Awards will be available for pickup throughout the night and photo opportunities with your award(s) will be available. Plus, you get a unique opportunity to mix and mingle with Tampa Bay's best! Finalists will receive an exclusive $10 off code to join us at the party to celebrate.
No! The party is open to the public! Anyone is welcome to sample the best, party with the best, and celebrate the best! If you love Tampa Bay, you'll want to be there.
The full list of winners will be available in the Best of the Bay Issue and cltampa.com
Check out all the Best of the Bay Party fun in 2024 below!
Interested in taking advantage of BOTB marketing opportunities or sponsoring the BOTB Party?
Please e-mail botb@cltampa.com