TAMPA, Fla. — The World Series is moving to Tampa Bay this week, and Tampa International Airport is bracing for one of its busiest stretches of the fall as fans fly in for Games 3, 4 and 5 at Tropicana Field.
Airport projections call for roughly 78,000 passengers on Sunday and about 79,000 more arriving Monday, both well above a normal day for the terminal. Many of those travelers are Milwaukee fans following the Brewers, who lead the series two games to none.
City leaders on both sides of the bay are already planning for the possibility of a title. A Tampa city spokesperson said the city intends to hold a boat parade if the Rays win, following a pattern set by earlier title runs: one water parade honored the Bucs after their Super Bowl win, the Lightning got two after back-to-back Stanley Cups, and the Tampa Bay Sun got one after winning its league crown.
Council chair Alan Clendenin, who leads the Tampa City Council, said work on a celebration is underway out of public view. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said his city is weighing its own parade along the downtown waterfront, likely on the route used for the annual St. Pete Pride parade.
The dueling plans reflect where the franchise is headed. The Rays are under contract at Tropicana Field for two more seasons, and the club’s new owners have a deal for a ballpark in Tampa, on the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College. That stadium is expected to open in 2029, which makes this October something of a farewell for the Trop.
If the series goes the distance, a Game 7 would be played on Halloween. Welch, who is seeking another term, faces voters on Nov. 3, just after that date. For now the travel crush at the airport is the most visible sign of the series in Tampa, with fans from both cities expected to fill terminals, hotels and rental car counters through the week.
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