Tampa Trading Card Con gives Tampa Bay collectors three different ways to spend a convention weekend: a Friday evening opening, a Saturday program that continues into trade night, and a Sunday visit before the event wraps up. The November 13–15 gathering combines a vendor hall with Voice Actor Alley and separate early-entry options for collectors who want a head start.
The setting is Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel, so plan your trip around the actual resort location rather than downtown Tampa. For a first visit, the biggest decisions are which days you want to attend, whether early entry matters to you, and whether Saturday's evening trading session belongs in your plans.
A Full Day of Cards & Collectibles
The convention centers on in-person card browsing and collecting, with Pokémon, other TCGs, sports cards and mixed collectibles forming the broad hobby context. Treat that as a reason to explore the floor rather than a guarantee of a particular card, release or vendor specialty. If your visit depends on one specific item, check the organizer's latest announcements before making the trip.
Friday is particularly useful if an evening outing fits your schedule better than a full daytime visit. General badge entry begins at 4 PM, alongside the kickoff party and the opening of Voice Actor Alley. The published Friday vendor-hall closing is 10 PM, giving the opening day its own substantial browsing window.
Saturday and Sunday both begin general admission at 10 AM. Sunday has a stated 6 PM finish, making it the clearer option if you want a daytime visit with a defined end. Saturday has a different rhythm because the program continues with trade night after the daytime opening. Choose your day around that difference, especially if you are coordinating rides or bringing someone whose main interest is the evening session.
More Than Just a Card Show
Saturday's trade night runs from 7 to 10 PM. That is a distinct part of the public program, so a Saturday visit can include both daytime browsing and evening trading. The overall Saturday schedule runs from 10 AM to 10 PM, but the evening endpoint should not be read as a promise that vendor-hall shopping continues throughout trade night.
If trading is the main reason you are coming, the evening session gives you a specific time to plan around. If your priority is shopping with dealers, arrive during the daytime portion and check the organizer's on-site schedule for the hall's arrangements. That distinction matters more than simply treating Saturday as one uninterrupted shopping day.
Voice Actor Alley appears on all three days of the published schedule. It adds another reason to explore beyond the vendor floor, but plan any particular guest visit around the organizer's current announcements. A listing for the alley alone does not establish an individual guest's appearance time, autograph price or photo opportunity arrangements.
A Show for All Levels of Collectors
The badge choices make a practical difference before you arrive. Each individual day badge is $25, while the $40 Weekend Badge covers Friday through Sunday. If you already expect to attend on two days, the weekend option costs less than buying two individual day badges. It also makes sense for someone who wants to browse Friday and return for Saturday's trade night.
The Gym Badge adds early access and a priority exhibit-hall line to weekend admission. League Badge holders receive those benefits plus a swag bag and first access to photo opportunities. Those upgrades are most relevant if the stated perks match your plans; ordinary weekend admission remains a separate option for attending all three days.
Early entry is a half-hour window: 3:30 to 4 PM on Friday and 9:30 to 10 AM on Saturday and Sunday. It applies to Gym and League badges. A standard Weekend Badge covers the weekend but does not carry the early-entry benefit, so check the badge name before planning an arrival ahead of general admission.
Families should also check the children's badge option. Kids 7 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult ticketed for the same day. Coordinate the adult ticket and child's attendance date together rather than assuming a child's free entry replaces the accompanying adult's admission.
Parking and on-site dining are advertised at the resort. Those are useful considerations for a longer Saturday visit, although parking availability does not establish that parking is free. Allow time to reach the event entrance after arriving on the property, particularly if you are aiming for an early-entry window or meeting someone for trade night.
Final Thoughts
Tampa Trading Card Con offers a weekend with distinct arrival options and an evening trading session worth planning around. Pick your badge by the days and entry benefits you actually want, and use the "Official Source" link for current event details before heading to Wesley Chapel. If you attend, let the organizer or fellow collectors know you found the event on Card Show Dex.
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