Weekend Things To Do In Tampa
It’s Gasparilla weekend pirates and Tampa is going to be full of things to do for the whole family to enjoy.
If you were devastated by the news of the Ringling Bros. decision to close then you’re not going to want to miss this. This weekend the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will perform for the last time in Tampa. While this circus is taking place at Amalie Arena, down the road in Port Richey Cirque Italia will set up a white and blue big top at Gulf View Square Mall. Circus Xtreme, the Ringling’s show will feature BMX trick riders, trampoline daredevils and animal acts ranging from Bengal tigers to camels. The shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 10:30 a.n. and 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday. There will be two shows on Sunday at 1 and 5:30 p.m. Tickets range from $18-$85 and if you come an hour early you can meet performers and see the animals up close. 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa. amaliearena.com.
Cirque Italia will feature a 35,000-gallon water stage with a lid that rises 35 feet, which creates a curtain of rain for a show that’ll include contortionists, acrobatics, dance, BMX, roller skating, laser lights and more. The shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. Tickets range from $10-$50. 9409 U.S. 19, Port Richey. cirqueitalia.com.
Comedy lovers get ready for a weekend full of laughs. Jerry Seinfeld has three shows lined up for Thursday and Friday at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Billy Crystal brings his new tour to town on Tuesday. Seinfeld is no stranger to comedy as he tours regularly and most recently signed a deal with Netflix for standup specials and his show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Crystal’s show on Tuesday at 8 p.m. will have a mixture of standup comedy, storytelling and multimedia clips from throughout his career. He will have a special guest, actor Bonnie Hunt (Jumanji, Cheaper by the Dozen). Tickets range from $58.75-$158.75 for Seinfeld, and $56.50-$132.50 for Crystal. 111 N McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. (727) 791-7400. rutheckerdhall.com.
Gasparilla. Set sail on the pirate ship Jose Gasparilla on Saturday and dock at the Tampa Convention Center at 1p.m. Pirate crews will invade downtown Tampa from 2 to 5 p.m. tossing beads and other treasures into a crowd of likely 300,000 pirates. It’s free to the public, but seats can be reserved for $45-$125 at gasparillatreasures.com. Visit the city of Tampa’s website for a complete map of the parade route, parking options and shuttle bus schedules. tampagov.net.
