Vicente Martinez-Ybor Bicentennial Celebration

September 7, 2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Vicente Martinez-Ybor, founder of Ybor City, now Tampa’s National Historic Landmark District. Ybor arrived in the sleepy fishing village of Tampa in 1885, at the age of 67, and led the way to the establishment of the cigar industry in Ybor City. By 1886, the first cigar had been made, although at the Sanchez and Haya factory, and the beginnings of his company town were in place. Once he had moved his cigar business from Key West to Tampa, Ybor encouraged other cigar-makers to follow. By the turn of the century, Tampa had grown from a few hundred residents to a population of about 15,000, which included the diverse group of immigrants who came to Tampa to work in the Cigar industry or provide goods and services for those who did.

Ybor passed away in 1896 and never saw the results of a town and an industry he had started a mere 11 years before, and which ultimately resulted in the Tampa’s renown as the “Cigar Capital of the World.”

The event includes live music, light appetizers, beer, wine and other beverages. Click here to register: Admission is free and open to the public. Reservations are requested.