Photo Booth Rentals in Tampa, Florida

Tampa’s historic rooms, from Ybor City to the Heights

Tampa’s best known event rooms are its old commercial buildings: a streetcar barn, a 1919 bank, a clubhouse built by Italian immigrants in Ybor City. Many come with exclusive or in-house catering, and at least one requires a coordinator to run vendor load in, so the booth company works to the venue’s schedule rather than its own. Five rooms booth vendors see often:

• Armature WorksTampa Heights

  Tampa Electric’s 1910 streetcar storage and maintenance barn. The Gathering hall covers 10,000 sq ft and seats 150 to 550 under an LED ceiling with a video wall, alongside a 4,000 sq ft open air courtyard. Food and drink come only from its partners, and every wedding needs a planner or day of coordinator to manage vendor load in.

• The VaultDowntown

  The 1919 Exchange National Bank at 611 N. Franklin St., with a 35 foot ornamental ceiling, original marble floors, a mezzanine and the original walk in vault. 6,000 sq ft for 250 cocktail guests or 200 seated. The vault itself is regularly used as a photo booth room, which saves you a backdrop.

• The Italian ClubYbor City

  L’Unione Italiana’s 1918 clubhouse, with a cantina, a theater and the Capitano Grand Ballroom under a hand painted ceiling and alabaster chandeliers. About 300 for a banquet. Catering is in-house but outside caterers are permitted, which makes it one of the more flexible historic rooms in the city.

• The Florida AquariumChannel District

  Full buyouts take 250 to 2,000 guests, and the Coral Reefs Gallery seats up to 200 in front of a 500,000 gallon window. Catering is in-house only and weddings must use preferred vendors, while corporate events can bring approved outside vendors carrying $1 million in liability insurance. Confirm your booth company holds that before you sign.

• Oxford ExchangeWest Kennedy Blvd, opposite the University of Tampa

  An 1891 building, likely built as stables for the Tampa Bay Hotel, reopened in 2012 as a restaurant, bookshop and event space. Up to 200 seated or 250 standing, with ceremonies in the Shaw Library. A compact, design led room where an open air booth with a simple backdrop sits more comfortably than a large platform.

Tampa Bay planners and DMCs

Tampa’s planners run from wedding studios to corporate destination managers who bring convention and incentive groups into the city. Three working here now:

• Alexa Kritis Events

  Full service wedding and social event planning led by founder Alexa Kritis, who has more than twenty years in the event industry.

• Savvy Events & Entertainment

  A destination management company at 711 S. Howard Ave. in SoHo, with more than twenty years of corporate events, incentive programs, themed parties and team building.

• Tampa Bay Party Company

  Founded in 2020 by husband and wife Andy and Jodie, offering full and partial wedding and event planning together with rentals.

Gasparilla, the State Fair and the summer storms

Tampa books against a Florida calendar. The busy months run from winter into spring, when the weather is dry and the city is full of visitors, and the two biggest public events of the year land back to back in late January and February.

• Gasparilla and the FairLate January to mid February

  The Gasparilla Children’s Parade, the Pirate Invasion and the Sant’Yago Knight Parade in Ybor City fill three weekends, and the Florida State Fair runs through the middle of February. Private parties cluster around all of them.

• Peak seasonDecember to April

  Dry, mild and busy with visitors. The prime wedding window, and the one to book 9 to 12 months out for a Saturday.

• Holiday partiesDecember

  Larger corporate planners lock in holiday entertainment as early as March and April. December weekends fill first; weeknights and early January dates stay open longest.

• Storm seasonLate May to October

  The rainy season brings afternoon thunderstorms on most days, and hurricane season runs June to November, busiest from mid August to mid October. Rates are softer, but keep the booth indoors or under cover.

Across the bay and along I-4

Tampa Bay vendors think in counties rather than miles. Crossing the bay is often included, and travel fees tend to start once you head out along I-4 or south past Manatee County:

• St. Petersburg, About 24 miles across the bay and the region’s second booth market, with ten listed vendors and beach resorts like the Don CeSar on St. Pete Beach.
• Clearwater, About 23 miles west, where beach resort ballrooms carry much of the wedding trade.
• Brandon, Thirteen miles east in Hillsborough County, close enough to count as a Tampa booking.
• Lakeland, About 36 miles east on I-4 in Polk County, outside the no fee radius several Tampa vendors publish.
• Sarasota, About 60 miles south. Some Tampa vendors include it and others charge travel, so ask before you compare quotes.

Photo booth rentals near Tampa