Children’s Gasparilla, Lunar New Year, Tweed Ride: FL Weekend Events

TAMPA BAY, FL — Looking for something fun to do this weekend in the Tampa Bay area? There’s something for every interest — Central Florida Comic Con, John’s Pass Seafood Festival, Children’s Gasparilla, Lunar New Year Festival and more!

Check out these weekend events:

Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition

Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition is a three-day World Series of Philately show featuring 180 frames of amazing exhibits in competition, 31 dealers from all over the country, the U.S. Postal Service, and various societies and organizations on display. The show takes place Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Sarasota Municipal Auditorium.

John’s Pass Seafood Festival

The historic John’s Pass Village & Boardwalk in Madeira Beach becomes a venue for a large celebration of fresh gulf seafood, the John's Pass Seafood Festival, Friday through Sunday. The three-day outdoor event features hundreds of local vendors offering a plethora of seafood, an art and crafts show, live music and various family-friendly activities.

St. Armands Food Truck Rally & Music Festival

The St. Armands Food Truck Rally & Music Festival in Sarasota comes to Ken Thompson Park Friday, 4 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. From local favorites to international delicacies, the food trucks will offer something for everyone. Talented local musicians will take the stage and there will be a marketplace of arts, crafts, and specialty products.

“Advanced Style” Documentary Screening

Sarasota Art Museum presents An Evening of Advanced Style, Friday, 5:30 p.m., which includes an exclusive screening of “Advanced Style” followed by a cocktail reception honoring special guests Ari Seth Cohen and Judith Boyd, The Style Crone.

Central Florida Comic Con

The Central Florida Comic Con takes place Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Lakeland’s RP Funding Center. The con celebrates comics, toys, cosplay, TV, film, art and more.

Touch A Truck & STEM Fest

The city of Largo and Pinellas County Schools present this hands-on STEM event showcasing the skills used in professional fields, crafts, games, demonstrations, a truck parade and more Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Largo Central Park.

Children’s Gasparilla

The alcohol-free, family-friendly Children’s Gasparilla is celebrated in Tampa on Saturday, noon to 7:30 p.m. The festivities include a bicycle and pedestrian safety rodeo, air invasions, a children’s parade and preschoolers' stroll, and fireworks.

Swan City Jazz Festival

The Swan City Jazz Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, noon to 7 p.m., at the Kathleen High School auditorium in Lakeland. The headliners of this free festival are Julian Vaughn and Lannie Battistini.

Lunar New Year Festival

The Saigon Night Market presents the Lunar New Year Festival Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 10 p.m., at England Brothers Park in Pinellas Park. The event features food trucks, vendors, special guests, entertainment, and various customs and rituals.

Tweed Ride

The most fashionable event on two wheels, the annual St. Pete Tweed Ride, is back Saturday afternoon. Registration for this St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club fundraiser starts at 2 p.m. at 559 Mirror Lake Drive with the riding taking off at 4 p.m., followed by an after party with live music, dinner and drinks.

Festivals of Speed

Presented by Porsche Clearwater, the 20th annual Festivals of Speed takes over St. Petersburg’s Vinoy Park Sunday, 11 a.m. to 3 pm., with more than 250 exotic, classic, and muscle cars, as well as motorcycles and luxury brands. Offshore race boats, antique boats and other unique watercraft are also encouraged to display.

Post Your Event On Patch!

Want to post your next neighborhood event on the Patch? No matter how big or small it may be, if it's local, it has a place on the Patch calendar. Posting an event is as simple as 1, 2, 3. Here's how to do it:

1. Create a Patch account and sign up to post your own local content on Patch, totally free. It's probably the easiest thing you'll do all day.
2. Make a Calendar Event and fill it with all the awesome info that people need to add it to their list of things to do in their neighborhood. Choose a fun image to upload and most importantly - have fun with it! It's your event, and the possibilities are endless.
3. Post it on Patch! That's it. Get ready for RSVPs.

You can post your event for free to a single Patch, or if you really want to get the community's attention, you can feature your event for $2 per Patch per day. When an event is featured, it receives priority placement on the local calendar as well as on the homepage, article pages, our daily newsletter, and our weekly calendar events newsletter.