1921 - The South Florida Fair and Gasparilla Carnival opened in Tampa, Florida on this date. In July of 1904, the South Florida Fair Association was formalized and plans for a new exhibition hall, a stadium, coliseum, and stock stalls to be built. After a few short years it became known as the Mid-Winter Festival. In 1915, when Articles of Incorporation for the South Florida Fair and Gasparilla Carnival were filed with the Secretary of State's office in Tallahassee, the Fair became known simply as the Florida State Fair. Except for a couple of years during World War II, when it would have been inappropriate to hold a festival, the Fair has been held every year since its inception in 1904. In its first years, the Fair took place on a two-acre plot in downtown Tampa, near the University of Tampa. At the time, Tampa's renowned Gasparilla Parade started and ended at the fairgrounds site.