Top Events Taking Place In Tampa Bay Jan. 19-20

Wondering what to do this weekend? Here are the top events taking place in Tampa Bay:

Children’s Gasparilla

The 2019 Children's Gasparilla Extravaganza and Parade takes place Saturday, Jan. 19.

The day's festivities will kick off with a bicycle safety rodeo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hosted by Walk Bike Tampa, the free event will take place along Bayshore Boulevard between Rome and Dakota avenues. Kids will be fitted with a free, new bicycle helmet (while supplies last).

The rodeo will be followed by the Gasparilla Preschool Stroll at 1:30 p.m. at Howard Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard. An estimated 1,200 preschoolers age 5 and under will walk, stroll or ride in creatively decorated wagons a half mile to Rome Avenue.

Starting at 3 p.m., there will be an air show with vintage and stunt planes that will wrap up with an appearance by the United States Special Operations Command Parachute Team (the Para-Commandos) , which will land on Bayshore Boulevard. The commandos also plan to do a night jump at 6:15 p.m.

The main event, the children's parade, will kick off at 3:30 p.m. Children ages 6 and older will dance, march and ride on floats down Bayshore Boulevard to Edison and Bayshore.

Finally, Gasparilla "Piratechnics," Tampa Bay's largest fireworks display of the year, will begin at 7 p.m. just off Bayshore Boulevard at Howard Avenue.

Click here for tickets.

St. Pete MLK Day Celebration

St. Petersburg will celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy over the three-day weekend with the nation's longest-running parade honoring MLK.

The 34th annual MLK Dream Big Parade will get underway at Monday, Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. with a new route beginning at 3rd Street and 1st Avenue South and running west along 1st Avenue South in downtown St. Pete and ending at Tropicana Field.

More than 50,000 spectators come out to see the parade featuring bands, city leaders, civic groups, dance troupes and local businesses.

The parade will be followed by a Family Fun Day at Tropicana Field, featuring a kids' zone, entertainment, an education drive, day of service programs and other activities from 2:30 to 8 p.m.

Plant City MLK Fest

Plant City's 33rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Arts Fest, hosted by the Improvement League of Plant City, continues this weekend with the MLK Freedom Parade and MLK Street Festival.

This year's parade theme is "Unity Starts Here: The Work Continues." The parade will kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 at the corner of Wheeler Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Featuring bands, floats, vintage cars, dance troupes and dignitaries, the parade runs 1.4 miles east along MLK Boulevard to the Plant City MLK Recreation Center, 1601 E. Dr. MLK Jr. Blvd. (note: adjacent streets will close at 12:30 p.m.)

The street festival also takes place Saturday from 11 a..m. to 8 p.m. at the MLK Recreation Center's sports complex. The city has demolished the old recreation center and construction is underway on a new $4 million MLK Community Center. However, the street festival will still be held at the sports complex fields.

In past years, more than 4,000 people have attended the event featuring live music, food vendors and vendors displaying arts, crafts, African clothing, purses, soaps, jewelry and health-care products.

Pigz n' Z'Hills BBQ and Blues Festival

The ninth annual Pigz n' Z'Hills BBQ and Blues Festival will take place Saturday, Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 5200 Airport Road in Zephyrhills.

Sponsored by the Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, the event will feature 50 teams, with professionals competing for $10,000 in prizes.

Tampa blues artist and master slide guitar and steel lap player Damon Fowler will headline the entertainment. Also performing will be Bird Tribe, Chuck Riley's All-Star Band, Ellie Lee Band and Dave Shepard Band.

Additionally, there will be a corn hole tournament, a “still-marinating” contest, a classic car show, aviation showcase, military museum, business expo, kids’ zone, food and retail vendors.

Entry is free. Parking is $10. Seating is limited, so bring lawn chairs. No pets or coolers are allowed.

For information or to register for the corn hole tourney, click here.

Suncoast Arts Fest

The 14th annual Suncoast Arts Fest will be held Jan. 19-20 at the Shops of Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel.

The two-day event is free and will feature the works of about 100 artists from around the country, live entertainment and art activities for kids.

Performers for Saturday will include the Richey Suncoast Kidz Theatre, John Emil (blues), Gypsy Wind (Kentucky bluegrass/gypsy swing) the Wesley Chapel Wind Ensemble and headliner Hot Sun Quartet (jazz).

Sunday performances will include the Suncoast Dance Theatre, Mr. Harley (interactive children’s music), Klein & Hopper (classic rock and pop) and Tampa blues legend Sarasota Slim.

Other activities include a Van Gogh-themed art garden with free activities for the kids, a Chalk Garden featuring 10 professional artists creating street murals and an Art Makerspace presented by the Land O’ Lakes Library.

The event is sponsored by the Fine Arts of the Suncoast, a charitable organization that provides funding for fine and performing arts programs in Pasco County schools.

For information, click here,

Celebrate Penguin Awareness Day

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is welcoming some fluffy new additions to the Penguin Point penguin colony, just in time for Penguin Awareness Day.

On Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 19-20, visitors can learn more about African penguins and get a behind-the-scenes introduction to some of the members of the park’s colony during a Penguin Insider Tour. Guests will also receive 10 percent off penguin merchandise.

Three new chicks have joined the colony, hatching on Dec. 28, 30 and Jan. 10. The birds are under the care of adult penguin pairs with frequent check-ups from Busch Gardens’ veterinarians and keepers. Guests can see this care in action when they visit the penguin habitat.

In addition to the three newest arrivals, the group of four hatchlings from the fall are growing fast and thriving during the park’s most successful hatchling season in history. The older chicks can be found swimming and splashing at Penguin Point.

As a special treat for park guests for Penguin Awareness Day, visitors are invited to the Animal Care Center to meet one of these chicks. Visit times will be posted each day at the Animal Care Center, where guests can learn more about caring for penguins, the work of the park’s veterinarians and how to help save and protect these animals in the wild.

To learn more and to reserve a spot on the Penguin Insider Tour, click here.

Celebrate The Great Hits Of The ‘50s

Due to popular demand, a second showtime for "Let's Hang On!," a tribute to The Jersey Boys, Frankie Valli and more, will be presented Sunday, Jan. 20 at 7 pm. at the Central Park Performing Arts Center.

This high-energy production features four guys, two gals and a swingin' band, who sing and dance their way through some of the best songs of all time including: "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Walk Like a Man," "Sherry," "My Eyes Adored You" and more.

For additional information or a complete list of upcoming events, click here.

Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival 5K

The Tampa Black Heritage Festival 5K Walk/Run for Health will take place Saturday, Jan. 19 from 8 to 11 a.m. at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 601 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa.

Hosted by The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival Inc., the event is in honor of Felecia Ann Wintons, one of the found members of the festival who lost her battle with cancer in 2009.

Go to Eventbrite to register.

Black Heritage Music Fest

The two-day 18th annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival Music Fest, hosted by the Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival Inc., will take place Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 19-20 from noon to 9 p.m. at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, 601 N. Ashley Drive, Tampa.

The event will feature family-friendly activities that include a children's village, free health screening, food vendors, local and regional entertainment and giveaways.

Please bring your own lawn chair.

Go to Eventbrite for tickets.

Unity Breakfast And MLK March

The City of Dunedin will commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy on Saturday, Jan. 19, with a Unity Breakfast and the annual March for MLK Jr.

The free Unity Breakfast will take place from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 550 Lara Lane, Dunedin.

In addition to breakfast, there will be entertainment, keynote speakers and readings of the winning students essays about diversity.

Immediately following the breakfast, the city will host its annual March for MLK Jr.

The march will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the recreation center and end at 12:30 p.m. at John R. Lawrence Pioneer Park in downtown Dunedin. The event will include live entertainment and a celebration of the life and works of Dr. King.

These events are being presented by the Dunedin Parks & Recreation, in partnership with the Dunedin Library and Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church.

For more information, call (727) 738-2920.

Meet The Stars Of Live PD

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office will host a meet-and-greet with the deputies who have appeared on the A&E show, "Live PD.

The event will take place Saturday, Jan. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Pasco Sheriff's Office Administration Building, 8700 Citizen Drive, New Port Richey.
It will feature K9 demonstrations, community resources, a display of sheriff's vehicles, activities for kids and food trucks including The Melt Machine Food Truck, Mmmm Delicious Cupcakes, Just Smokin BBQ and SLAMMER SHOP.

Click here.

Treasure Island Sport Kite Festival

The 22nd annual Treasure Island Sport Kite Competition and Festival will take place Jan. 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. behind the host hotel, the Thunderbird Beach Resort, 10700 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island. The competitive sport kite flyers will amaze spectators with their skills performing in team multi-line precision, ballet and individual precision competitions.

Sponsor Windworks on John's Pass in Madeira Beach will be on hand with kid's kites, stunt kits and accessories, and will hold hourly raffles all weekend.

For more information, contact Windworks at (727) 320-9463.

Image via City of St. Pete

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