Top Events Taking Place In Tampa Bay April 12-14

TAMPA BAY, FL – Wondering what to do this weekend? Here are some events taking place in Tampa Bay that you might want to check out:

Sugar Sand Festival

Visitors are invited to marvel at the creative and intricate works of 14 master sand sculptors from around the world during the 2019 Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater Beach April 12 to 28.

One of Clearwater's premier events, the festival features free concerts on the beach, sand-sculpting competitions and classes, food and merchandise vendors, fireworks.

In addition to the works of art on display in a 21,000-square-foot structure, this year's festival features sand-sculpting competitions, daily concerts on the beach, free movies at dusk, a kids' fishing tournament, arts and crafts booths, a Ferris wheel, fireworks on the beach Saturday nights, water slides, bounce houses, bungee jumps, aqua balls, sand-sculpting classes and a cornhole tournament. Click here for more details.

Los Vinos De Dali Fundraiser

Los Vinos de Dalí, an annual wine and food fundraiser, will take place Sunday, April 14, 4 to 7 p.m., on the waterfront plaza between the Dalí Museum and the Mahaffey Theater in downtown St. Petersburg.

Sponsored by International Diamond Center, the event will feature a variety of fine wines as well as gourmet tastings from some of the area’s finest restaurants. Hosted each year by The Guild at The Dalí, tickets to the event also provide access to the museum’s galleries from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., including “Magritte & Dalí,” the first-of-its-kind special exhibition. The museum’s Avant-garden, with its winding labyrinth, Wish Tree and whimsical mustache sculpture, will be open for guests to stroll, sip and socialize in as well.

Highlights include rum tastings from Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille in advance of its official opening on the new St. Pete Pier and the launch of Lord Hobo Brewing Company’s new Museum Triple IPA beer.

Throughout the evening, attendees will also enjoy live music, dance pop-ups, a strolling artist and live painting by Michael Vahl.

Guests can also try their luck in a “wine pull” game of chance or participate in a silent auction featuring travel and wellness packages, jewelry, artwork and dining experiences.

Proceeds support The Dalí in its ongoing mission to delight and educate visitors and serve as an active resource in the cultural life of the community. Tickets begin at $80 for museum members and $90 for nonmembers and cover access to all tastings, plus entry to the museum’s galleries. To purchase tickets or learn more about the event, click here.

SunLit Festival

The fifth annual SunLit Festival promoting St. Pete’s literary community will continue through April 28 with 24 events.

Events this weekend include a historic downtown walking tour with a literary twist on Saturday, April 13. The tour, starting at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 175 5th St. N., will circle around Mirror Lake, an area with historic homes, schools, churches and the shuffle board courts. The cost is $10.

Wordier’s 1K Walk and Write will take place on Sunday, April 14 from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. This event is part writing workshop, part silent read-in, part walking tour of St. Pete and part pub crawl. The event starts at The Hangar Restaurant & Flight Lounge at Albert Whitted Airport and ends at The Ale & The Witch, stopping at various points along the way for 15 minutes of free writing.

SunLit Festival writers and poets will perform ekphrastic interpretations inspired by Joseph Campbell’s "Hero’s Journey" and the art in the exhibition: Quest: A Celebration of Glass, at Florida CraftArt, 501 Central Ave., on Saturday, April 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. This event is free.

Children will read poetry related to wilds of the night during a Children's Poetry Night on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, 1101 Country Club Way S., St. Pete.

The cost is $5 for children age 3 and up. Call (727) 893-7326 for reservations.

Upcoming events include a fundraiser to support Keep St. Pete Lit’s Children’s Literacy Programs, a Literary Carousel at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Florida Antiquarian Book Sale.

For a complete list of events, click here.

Storytelling Festival

The Tampa-Hillsborough County Libraries Storytelling Festival will take place Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Robert W. Saunders Sr. Public Library, 1505 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa.

The opening ceremonies will feature Pat Nease, four-time winner of Florida's Liars Contest. There also will be youth and adult storytellers, strolling literary characters, a storybook character parade and a Scholastic Book fair.

For more information, click here.

Bern's Winefest 22 Grand Tasting

Wine lovers will have an opportunity to taste more than 200 top-rated wines and spirits paired with culinary delights from Bern's Steak House, Élevage, Cena, Ichicoro, Il Ritorno, Jamison B. Breadhouse Bakes, Parkshore Grill and Rooster & The Till on Sunday, April 14 from 12:30 to 4 p.m. during Bern's Winefest 22 Grand Tasting, at the Haven, 2208 W. Morrison Ave., Tampa.

The evening will feature live music from Electric Avenue and a silent auction benefiting the Bern Laxer Memorial Scholarship Fund that awards a $11,150 scholarship to a Florida student each year, through the James Beard Foundation.