Here’s what’s happening around Tampa Bay…
On Friday, the Sugar Sand Festival is all weekend on Clearwater Beach. The Tampa Bay Blues fest with Buddy Guy is at Vinoy Park. The Friday Extra Concert Series is at Curtis Hixon Park. The Rhythm and Ribfest is all weekend in Bradenton. The Dunedin Wine and Art Walk is at Pioneer Park. Floirda Winefest is downtown Sarasota. The Lightning play the Columbus Blue Jackets. Judy Collins is at Clearwaters Capitol theatre. And The Sarasota Ochestra celebrates the Beatles in America at the Van Wezel.
On Saturday: The Blueberry Festival is downtown Brooksville. The Tampa Bay blues fest has Michael McDonald at the Vinoy. The Tampa Bay Vegetarians Picnic is at Seminole Park. The Tampa Yankees and players have a pink out night at Steinbrenner Field. Singer Jon Secada performss at Al Lang Stadium at the Rowdies home opener against Edmonton. And Reggae grammy award winner Stephen Marley is at Jannus Live.
On Sunday: the Blueberry festival continues in Brooksville. The Blues Fest wraps up at Vinoy Park. With Irma Thomas. Todd Rundgren is at clearwater’s capitol theatre.
St. Petersburg gets refreshed this weekend, welcoming world-class blues, live outdoor theater, a 1940’s-style dance party, and season openers for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and newly-formed football team, the St. Petersburg Tide, among other events, to the Sunshine City.
Sing the Blues – Buddy Guy, Michael McDonald, Coco Montoya and Irma Thomas are just some of the headliners taking the stage at the 20th annual Tampa Bay Bluesfest tomorrow through Sunday, April 11-13 in Vinoy Park. The festival is open from noon to 10 p.m. each day with cash-only tickets available at the main gate. Fans may enjoy intimate concerts with Bluesfest performers during after-parties Friday through Sunday nights at the Palladium Theater. Learn more at www.mypalladium.org.
Festival parking is available in both city-owned garages for $5. Free festival shuttles will ferry spectators to and from Vinoy Park from three stops conveniently located near downtown parking facilities, including:
* on the east side of First St. just south of First Ave. S., located between
Al Lang Stadium and the SouthCore parking garage;
* on the east side of First St. mid-block between First and Second Aves. N.
just outside the Sundial/MidCore garage;
* and on the north side of Seventh Ave. NE just west of Bayshore Dr. near
Vinoy Park.
Shuttles run from 4 to 11 p.m. on Friday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and from 12:30 to 11 p.m. on Sunday with service approximately every 15 minutes.
For more information, visit www.stpetetrolley.com.
Magic in the Park – Also on Friday, American Stage in the Park’s production of The Wiz begins its run through May 4 in Demen’s Landing Park. Limited tickets are available for Friday’s and Saturday’s performances. Suggested parking options for American Stage in the Park this weekend include the Al Lang Stadium parking lot and SouthCore parking garage for $5, or the Pelican or Beach Dr. (formerly Dolphin) parking lots, a short walk from Demen’s Landing.
Walk for a Cause – Rise with the sun and help fund a cure for Cystic Fibrosis with Saturday’s Great Strides Walk in Demen’s Landing Park. The 2K event begins at 9 a.m. Registration is available at http://fightcf.cff.org/ and on Saturday morning at the park.
For Art’s Sake – Spend a pleasant spring evening touring St. Petersburg’s arts district and see where art is made during the Second Saturday heART Gallery Walk and Trolley Tour. More than 35 artist studios, galleries, warehouses, and museums open their doors at 5 p.m. for shopping and conversation. Find out more at http://warehouseartsdistrictstpete.com/2nd-saturday/.
Jump, Jive and Wail – Swing the night away to the timeless big band sounds of the 1940’s during the second annual USO G.I. Jive Dance Saturday night at the Coliseum. Enjoy vintage costume contests, raffles, dance lessons, a cash bar and more. Get tickets at http://us.uso.org/centralflorida/.
Get Rowdies – The Tampa Bay Rowdies give fans a kick off a new era Saturday when the team hosts FC Edmonton in the 2014 spring season opener at Al Lang Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The match gets underway following the singing of the National Anthem by Grammy Award winner Jon Secada, followed by a free post-game concert featuring Scotland’s bagrockers, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers.
Tickets for Saturday’s match and the rest of the Rowdies spring season are available at www.rowdiessoccer.com.
Classical Interlude – The Florida Orchestra presents the soothing sounds of Mozart, Diamond and Brahms in its 8 p.m. Masterworks series performance at the Mahaffey Theater on Saturday. Enjoy an evening of lush flowing string themes, bold brass and sparkling woodwinds conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Tickets are available at www.themahaffey.com or www.floridaorchestra.org.
Due to the popularity of the Rowdies home opener and the Florida Orchestra concert, parking for soccer fans will be located in the Al Lang Stadium lot or the SouthCore garage, while Florida Orchestra patrons should park in the Mahaffey Theater garage. Parking at all three locations will cost $5.
Tide Rolls In – St. Petersburg scores a touchdown when a brand-new semi-professional football team, the St. Petersburg Tide, rolls into Al Lang Stadium for its debut game on Sunday. The Tide hosts the Hattiesburg Gladiators in the 7 p.m. Professional Spring American Football League (PSAFL) game. Tickets are $10 and available at www.st-petetide.com.