A Sunday gate at 7 a.m.
The Spirit Clash Cheerleading Competition runs at the Florida State Fairgrounds on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The venue event page carries a 7 a.m. start and a 7:30 p.m. finish in its structured data. That is twelve and a half hours in the Entertainment Hall. Spectators pay $25 and children 3 and under enter free.
The clock the venue publishes
The Details block on the event page reads November 8, 2026: All Day. The same page carries startDate 07:00 and endDate 19:30 in its event schema. Those two times decide the booking.
Ask the organiser for your team's call time. A 7 a.m. gate is the building opening.
Why the Saturday night
Check in on Saturday, November 7 and check out on Sunday morning. One night covers the competition. A Friday night adds a day in Tampa and nothing for the event. A Sunday night adds nothing.
What else runs that Saturday
Saturday, November 7 carries four shows. The Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Special Events Center. The Tampa Bay Fall RV Show runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Midway. The SFRHA Green Spectacular & Membership Meeting runs 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Repticon runs November 7 and 8, and its parking product routes cars through the US 301 entrance.
The venue Repticon page still carries a 2023 record with no 2026 venue. Sunday adds Spirit Clash as a fifth event.
The 2.8 mile Hilton Garden Inn
The Fairgrounds publishes seven hotel partners with a distance to each. Hilton Garden Inn Tampa-East/Brandon carries a Distance field of 2.8 miles. Its own description reads less than 2 miles from the Florida State Fairgrounds, so the page prints two figures for one property. Quote the Distance field. The card lists The Garden Grille, The Grille Bar, a back terrace and an outdoor pool. No nightly rate appears on the venue site for this property or any other partner.
Three partners sit inside the Hilton Garden Inn radius. Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tampa Fairgrounds Casino is 0.2 miles away, and the venue I-75 northbound directions use it as the landmark: Turn LEFT at The Fairgrounds entrance across from the Holiday Inn Express and Winghouse Restaurant. Wyndham Garden Tampa Fairgrounds/Casino is 1.5 miles, opened in 2025, and lists free parking and an outdoor heated pool. Staybridge Suites Tampa-Brandon is 2.7 miles and sells suites with full kitchens.
The Cambria at 5 miles
Cambria Hotel Tampa-Brandon is the fifth entry on the list, at a Distance field of 5 miles. The venue describes a Choice Upscale property with the Brick & Forge Restaurant and Bar, an outdoor pool, and access from I-75 and the Selmon Expressway. It is the fallback for a late booking or a larger block. The 2.2 miles beyond the Hilton Garden Inn is the distance that availability costs.
Prepay the $10
The event page prices parking at $10 online and $12 onsite. It carries no advance admission link, so budget $25 at the gate. The parking portal carries a Spirit Clash product dated November 8, 2026, marked Good for One Time Entry and Enter Thru US Hwy 301, at $10.00 general parking. Two vehicles cost $20 prepaid against $24 at the gate. Each ticket covers one entry. Parking does not include event entry, and all sales are final. A mid-day trip back to the car takes a second ticket.
Gate 1 on U.S. 301
The Entertainment Hall sits behind the U.S. Hwy 301 entrance, Gate 1. From I-275 take I-4 East via Exit 45B, then Exit #7 for U.S. 301 South. Stay in the right lane for a quarter mile and turn right into the Fairgrounds entrance. Do not pass the light at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Parking for the disabled requires a designated license plate or hangtag.
The December 6 return
Spirit Championships runs a second competition on the same grounds four weeks later. The venue calendar lists Showcase of Champions at the Entertainment Hall on Sunday, December 6, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its event page prices spectator admission at $25 with children 3 and under free, and parking at $10 online and $12 onsite. November 8 to December 6 is 28 days. Ask the hotel to hold the same room type for both weekends before booking the first.
What to put in the room request
Ask for a 5:30 a.m. breakfast start or a grab-and-go bag. A 7 a.m. gate sits ahead of most hotel breakfast rooms. Confirm Sunday checkout in writing and price a late checkout. Ask how the property handles a 6 a.m. return to a full lot, then whether it will hold a block and what the cutoff is.
hotelhuddle.com cannot take this request. Its seller of travel page, last updated October 21, 2026, lists Florida among four states where the platform cannot process hotel booking requests from residents of or for travel to that state. The page records the status as not currently registered as a Florida Seller of Travel and cites Chapter 559, Florida Statutes. The request goes to the property sales office, and questions on the restriction route to compliance@hotelhuddle.com.