Gulfport GeckoFest

Meh. The Gulfport GeckoFest was kind of cool, but it really amounted to a decent amount of vendors and some street performers on a few blocks of a closed down road.
What I was really surprised with was the lack of food. There were two BBQ places with smokers out, some lobster place (who wants lobster in that heat?), a vendor that had hot dogs and maybe a few other food vendors. That was it. No food trucks or fair type food. We ended up ordering something small from a catering BBQ place that was okay, not great. Then, we went to a restaurant afterwards. I was also supposed to have free VIP tickets which basically meant a free meal, but I couldn’t figure out where to pick it up at.
I witnessed two magician street performers. The first was really, really good. He had a huge crowd and it was hard to even see what he was doing. It involved a small ball and transferring it from a hat to a cup and so on. He also had a whip that he was scaring some poor kid with. Very funny and entertaining and my favorite part of the fest. The second one was really bad and highly inappropriate for the families that were walking around.
The vendors were mostly stuff we weren’t interested in. I did see some really cool handmade skirts, some gorgeous handmade pepper mills and lots of cool yard ornaments. A lot of it was overpriced. In the end, we only bought some hot sauce from a cool store that was on the street.
About an hour after our GeckoFest experience started, it ended. Honestly, it was nothing special. I can find more vendors that are appealing at the St. Pete morning market. The street performers were really neat, but with the heat it was too much to stand around and watch more than a few. Maybe this festival is better at night? I’m not sure if we will be back. We wouldn’t go out of our way for it. It did however make me want to visit downtown Gulfport on another day and spend some time shopping and eatting in the city.

Geckofest used to be fun but this year is totally lame. Poor entertainment and not much to see but vendors. I went to take pictures but came home with almost nothing.

Tons of vendors. It’s getting bigger every year. Crafts. Jewelry. Food. Pet items. Pina coladas!

Eh. It was ok. I’m starting to think if you go to any festival in the area, they will all be pretty similar to each other. Lots of the same vendors here as a few other festivals I’ve been to. Did like the Evil Gnome tent. Redneck Jerky was good too. Pet Supermarket was out there giving out free swag.
The few acts we caught were ok. Lots of talking and not enough performing. I guess to fill their whole time slot. Would have been ok except for the insane heat! I noticed lots of people just walking off and not watching the whole act because it was taking so long to get to the actual trick or finale. Did feel horrible for the performers as it was crazy hot outside and could see them all sweating profusely.
Food options were good. You had your basic, overpriced festival foods such as corn dogs, hot dogs, burgers, funnel cake, and kettle corn. Also a few BBQ tents, Thai food, Pipo’s cuban. Maine-​iacs was out there. Lobster rolls were delicious! And such a nice guy! So glad I got to finally try it!
Felt sorry for the dogs out there. Who in their right mind brings their poor dog to a daytime outdoor event in this extreme heat?! The hot road and sidewalks must have been killer on their paws.
Energy of the event was lackluster. Maybe it got better with the parade/​nighttime activities?

What a blast. Love, love, love the artsy and quirky town of Gulfport. It’s so charming, and the residents so friendly and hospitable. The festival was a New Orleans theme and this was the 10^th year. Great turnout, huge variety of vendors and great music. Folks dancing to the music, costumes, dogs and geckos. Particularly enjoyed the music of Joel and Dakota, a very jack Johnson vibe.
Finally got to try Maineiacs lobster roll and was as good as everyone has been saying. A $ 7 slider, full of delicious huge chunks of lobster on a grilled bun. The Mainiac owner also super nice.
Next year put it on your calendar and don’t miss it. Le bonne temp roulez! I think :)

Went to GeckoFest for the first time to check it out. I thought the street performers were pretty good, maybe the highlight. I thought that the city would make for a better festival by limiting the number of tents and having a juried selection for the sellers. Too many cheap/​junk sellers. Some of the larger cities allow only a certain number of tents and perhaps charge more per tent. The overall effect is to have a better quality festival. Also, I think it would be nice (perhaps I missed this) for the city to have a tent near the front where they can showcase the niceties of the city for the visiting public. I know a lot of work can go into putting on a festival — thanks to Gulfport!

I must say that I was expecting a bit more than what was there, but some of the street performers were good, just too much talk and not enough performing for me. I’ve seen much better in Santa Barbara, CA.
The tents were the most of the same as all the other festivals in Tampa Bay, but I did see a few that were interesting. The one tent that I noticed the most was the Unilocal tent. I stopped in to talk to both workers and it was fun to see if anyone else had been there and talk about the upcoming events. First time I’ve seen a Unilocal tent and it was nice to see it there.
The heat was unmeasurable, it was soooo hot that it was tough to work anywhere that there wasn’t shade. I felt sorry for many of the people that were working in the tents and especially the performers, it had to be rough on them.

Went to the Gecko Fest with my family, we had an enjoyable afternoon. The vendors lined the street and the quality of the merchandise was excellent. We got various snacks, crepes, carmel corn, and geckoade. This is truly a Gulf Port eclectic experience. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Live music, street performers and vendors lined the streets of the Gulfport Gecko fest. Had no clue what to expect but I really enjoyed watching the street performers.
Will post video of the amazing acrobat act we saw upon our arrival. Keep in mind it is august in Florida and these people performed probably several times during the fest. It was in the high 90’s but felt more like 120 in the shade.
The bands played at both ends of the street. Lots of hot sweaty people. Who thinks up these type of activities in late august?
Glad I went but saw several people suffering from heat stroke.