Community Corner
Gasparilla Pirate Fest, TacoFest, Bounce The Mall: FL Weekend Events
Looking for something to do? Great Mr. Swindle's Traveling Peculiarium, Native American festival, Lakeland Pigfest, Kerouac bike ride.
TAMPA BAY, FL — Looking for something fun to do this weekend in the Tampa Bay area? There’s something for every interest — Gasparilla Pirate Fest, various food and wine festivals, a Pow Wow and Native American Festival.
Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival
Enjoy a weekend of great food and music at Sarasota’s JD Hamel Park. From Friday through Sunday, the Sarasota Seafood & Music Festival, hosted by the Downtown Sarasota Enrichment Association, serves up a variety of entrees (seafood, meat and vegetarian), side dishes, desserts, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
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There’s also a full line-up of musical performances — including R&B, blues, jazz, rock, soul and more. This year’s schedule includes Christal Shawanda, Dirty Byrd, Kara Nally, Randy Stephens & the Grove Makers, Kettle of fish, Twinkle, K-Luv and United Funk Foundation, One Night Radio, Sarasota Steel Pan Band, JP Soars & The Red Hots, and Gas House Gorilla.
General admission is free, though you will need to purchase your food and drink.
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This year’s special guest is the Humane Society of Sarasota County.
The 27th annual Spirit of the Buffalo Pow Wow and Native American Festival runs Friday through Sunday at the International Market World Flea and Farmers Market in Auburndale.
The event features crafts, intertribal dance competitions, historic village displays, workshops and over 60 exhibitors.
The festival also runs a second weekend, Feb. 3-5.
The 2023 Gasparilla Pirate Fest takes place Saturday in Tampa.
The ticketed Gasparilla Invasion Brunch at the Tampa Convention Center runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with the free pirate invasion of Tampa, led by the Jose Gasparilla, taking place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Gasparilla Parade of Pirates, presented by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, kicks off at 2 p.m. and begins at Bay to Bay and Bayshore boulevards, traveling along Bayshore into downtown Tampa. The parade celebrates the pirates capturing the city.
The focal point of Tampa’s Gasparilla Pirate Fest activities, the parade boasts approximately more than 120 colorful floats, bands and Jose Gaspar’s swashbuckling pirates.
This year, WWE wrestling champion Ric Flair will lead the parade as grand marshal, while Sgt. Maj. Matt Parrish is this year’s honorary hero.
This inflatable festival comes to St. Petersburg’s Tyrone Square starting Saturday and runs through Feb. 19.
This giant inflatable fun park features a large ball pit, a 600-foot-long obstacle course, giant slides, a birthday cake bouncer, a silent disco dome, an inflatable sports arena and more.
Tickets are $24 for 1.5-hour sessions.
The Great Mr. Swindle's Traveling Peculiarium and Drink-Ory Garden
Through Feb. 5, catch this 90-minute extravaganza featuring vintage amusements, live acrobats and aerialists, and comedy at Robarts Arena at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds. Arrive early to try the perplexing potions, bitter brews and mischievous medicines served in Dr. Elixir’s Drink-Ory Garden.
The show is designed for adults and not recommended for children. Tickets range from $45 to $75 each.
The second annual Pinellas TacoFest will take place Jan. 28-29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the England Brothers Bandshell, 5010 81st Ave. N., Pinellas Park.
Food vendors will compete for the title of Best Taco in Tampa Bay in a variety of categories — chicken, beef, pork, veggie and seafood.
The event is pet- and family-friendly, and admission and parking are free.
This skate jam at the Skatepark of Tampa is designed for those 30 and older with three divisions: ages 30 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 and older. The event kicks off Saturday at 4 p.m.
Entry includes free skating all day, contest entry, free beer and food, and Skatepark of Tampa swag.
The Butcher’s Block 10th Annual “Tasting Under the Tent” Grand Tasting
Discover wines from around the country at this annual event Saturday, 2 to 5 p.m., at The Butcher’s Block in Sarasota.
Attendees will meet winemakers, winery owners and wine specialists, and an opportunity to taste 100 different outstanding wines.
The Friends of Jack Kerouac hosts a guided bike tour Sunday, 10 a.m., throughout St. Pete.
Join the fun and learn about the author’s time in the Sunshine State by interacting with landmarks from his days living in St. Petersburg from 1964-66 and 1968-69.
Attendees will meet at the St. Pete Bike Co-op, 559 Mirror Lake Dr. N., at 9:30 a.m.
More than 150 barbecue teams Friday, 5 to 10 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Lakeland Pigfest at the Sun ‘n Fun Expo Campus.
Attendees can enjoy great food and music throughout the day.
There are also three barbecue competitions:
- the Kingsford Professional BBQ Competition, a Kansas City Barbecue Society-sanctioned event,
- the Publix Super Markets Backyard Competition for local, amateur teams, and
- the Applegate Kids-Q Cooking Contest for children.
Admission to Pigfest is $5 for everyone 12 and older and parking is free.
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