Pier60 Sugar Sand Festival
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It’s a busy time of year with new events, festivals, and more and we’ve got them all on our top picks of things to do this weekend in Tampa Bay!

Easter is this Sunday and there are plenty of great Easter events going on around Tampa Bay. If you’re looking for a place to enjoy a good meal and perhaps a few mimosas, check out our list of Easter brunches.

It’s also a great weekend to head down to the St. Pete Pier to Have an Old School Date Night at St. Pete Pier’s Rockin Roller Rink! We’re sharing all the details, theme nights, and more. 

There’s a lot on our curated guide of things to do, but you can also check out some of these top stories this week:


Featured Tampa Bay Events

 

Tampa Bay Rodeo & Family Festival

  • Friday & Saturday, April 12 & 13 Gates at 5pm; Rodeo at 8pm
  • Hillsborough County Fairgrounds

Ready, Set, Rodeo! For a ropin’ good time, head to the Tampa Bay Rodeo & Family Festival, presented by Bartow Ford. The best cowboys and cowgirls in the southeast region are saddling up for a FULL RODEO with 2 days of bull riding, bronco busting, barrel racing, calf roping, team roping and bull dogging. Come early for the Family Festival featuring LIVE MUSIC, delicious food and entertaining activities for the whole family. Test your skills on the mechanical bull and at axe throwing; ride monster trucks, camels and elephants; take pictures with snakes, monkeys and a giant hay wall; play free games such as Jenga and corn hole; and slide down the giant slide.
Tickets: $15 for kids ages 4-12, $30/adult; 3 and under are FREE

Tampa Bay Rodeo

Opera Tampa: 2024 Season

  • LA TRAVIATA April 19 & 21, 2024

Opera Tampa’s 2024 season spotlights stories worth dying for. Don Giovanni seduces conquest after conquest, Hansel and Gretel are lured into an enchanted forest and La Traviata haunts us with great love sacrificed. These timeless classics will be brought to life by acclaimed vocalists and live musical performances by The Florida Orchestra. You and your loved one can share something more important than a gift, time well spent together. Season tickets start as low as $90.

For family-friendly things to do in Tampa, check out Tampa Bay Parenting.


Things to Do This Weekend in Tampa Bay

Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival

  • Friday, March 29-Sunday, April 14
  • Pier 60 in Clearwater

Head to Clearwater Beach and get ready to peruse the expansive 21,000-square foot exhibit showcasing professionally sculpted sand sculptures. The Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival will be packed with free live music, spectacular fireworks, sand sculpting classes, artisans and crafters, food vendors, entertainment, and more.

Tampa Bay Air Fest

  • Friday, March 29-Saturday, March 30 from 8 am-4:15 pm
  • MacDill Air Force Base

Join the men and women of MacDill Air Force Base for a free event featuring an amazing variety of military and civilian flight performances featuring the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. Witness heart-pounding aerial performances and family-friendly activities showcasing all five branches of the US Military and first responder agencies.

Dooley Groves U-Pick Citrus

  • Friday, March 29-Sunday, March 31 from 10 am-4 pm
  • Ruskin

Dooley Groves is currently offering u-pick Rio Red Grapefruit and Valencia Oranges daily from 10 am-4 pm. This is a must-experience! Be sure to visit their website here to learn more details on what’s available.

Tours at Fat Beet Farm

  • Friday, March 29 and Sunday, March 31 at 11 am
  • Fat Beet Farms in Tampa

Join Fat Beet Farm for an exclusive peek at the inner workings of the farm, including their sustainability initiatives and wildlife preservation/restoration projects! This 1-hour walking tour includes their vegetable gardens, composting and vermiculture, chickens, the biodigester, bees, microgreens, aquaculture systems, wetland, and coastal preservation areas, and more! After the tour, head up to the cafe and marketplace to enjoy lunch and grab some local goods.

Live Music at the Sail

  • Friday, March 29 from 12 pm-4 pm
  • Sail Pavilion, Downtown Tampa

Enjoy live music outdoors at The Sail Plaza, featuring their 360 waterfront bar and Big Ray’s Fish Camp. 

MacDill Airfest Show Cruise with Yacht StarShip Cruises

  • Friday, March 29 from 2 pm-4 pm
  • Channelside – Tampa

Tampa
Enjoy the fantastic aerial demonstrations, including that of the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds” aboard Yacht StarShip. Cruise tickets include a gourmet lunch buffet and a cruise in Tampa right near the action with a fantastic view of the air show.

Sunset Zip Line Adventures at Empower Adventures Tampa Bay

  • Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30 at 3:30 pm
  • Oldsmar

Tour guides will lead you through a 2.5-hour unforgettable sunset zip line tour, all while taking in the breathtaking Florida views! Gain a new perspective on fun, beginning with their 60-foot tall start tower, 5 zip lines varying in length and totaling over 3,000′, a 200-foot suspension bridge along with an adventure course with log bridges, cable traverses, and poles!

Secrets of the Zoo Tour at ZooTampa

  • Saturday, March 30 at 8:30 am
  • ZooTampa at Lowry Park

You’ve seen the stories on TV, now experience them in real life on a Secrets of the Zoo Tour! Go behind-the-scenes and explore the amazing species, animal care team, and locations featured on the show. Meet the animal and human stars from your favorite episodes, get an in-depth look at how ZooTampa cares for the animals, hear the inside scoop of the stories featured, and what it takes to film the show. Each tour focuses on a different realm and offers an up-close, hands-on experience.

Adults Only Easter Egg Hunt at JW Marriott

  • Saturday, March 30 from 11 am-1 pm
  • JW Marriott Water Street

Hundreds of eggs will be hidden throughout that will include prizes such as wellness face masks, complimentary cocktail offerings, dinners for two, Marriott Bonvoy Points, and more. 

St. Pete Pier Spring Festival and Easter Egg Hunt

  • Saturday, March 30 from 11 am-7 pm
  • St. Pete Pier

Head to the St. Pete Pier for family-friendly Easter fun in the Spa Beach Park area of the Pier! There will be an Easter egg hunt every hour beginning at 11:30 (tickets required), family-friendly activities, food, live music, fun activities for kids, and of course…the Easter Bunny!

Check out more Easter events in Tampa Bay. 

Tarpon Springs Craft Beer Mile Launch Brewery Crawl

  • Saturday, March 30 from 12 pm-7 pm
  • Sponge Brewing in Tarpon Springs

Get ready for an EPIC brewery crawl! Start at any of the five participating breweries and pick up a beer mile card. Go in order and finish at any of the breweries by 7 pm to grab collectible stickers. You will get $1 off each beer at each location along with a stamp confirming you stopped there. Participating breweries: Sponge Brewing, 5 Branches Brewing, Brighter Days Brewing Company, Two Frogs Brewing Company, and Unrefined Brewing. 

Dueling Pianos at Dunedin Mix 

  • Saturday, March 30 from 6 pm-9 pm
  • Dunedin Mix

Head to the new Dunedin Mix for a fun, musical night.

Bay Area Renaissance Festival

  • Saturday, March 30 and Sunday, March 31 from 10 am- 6 pm
  • Dade City

Join the Villagers of Folkstone as they invite one and all to the magical 16th Century European village featuring fifteen stages of exciting entertainment including musicians, magicians, jugglers, and jousting. Over 100 artisans will fill the festival marketplace to display and sell their handcrafted goods for a truly fabulous and endless shopping experience. Patrons will interact with memorable characters and enjoy full-contact live armored jousting, 7 theme weekends, and fabulous food fit for royalty!

Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival

  • Saturday, March 30-Sunday, March 31
  •  Busch Gardens Tampa Bay

This year’s Food and Wine Festival features 17 cabins in the Festival Pathway, Festival Field, and Bird Gardens area. Taste food and wines from specific countries like Argentina, Chile, Spain, France, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Italy. There are also cabins focused on Old World Wines, Moonshine Tasting, and USA Desserts. The menu items range from $7.99 to $10.99. 

You can also hear music from southern rock band, The Outlaws, at 7 pm on Saturday the 30th and platinum-selling artist, Mark Willis at 6 pm on Sunday the 31st.

Easter at Clearwater Marine Aquarium

  • Sunday, March 31 from 10 am-5 pm
  • Clearwater Marine Aquarium

CMA will have fun activities all day! There will be face painting from 10 am-3 pm, Easter activity tables, and Dippin Dots treat samples from 1 pm-4 pm. You can also catch Dippin Dots mascot, Frozeti, and the Easter Bunny himself throughout the day! At 12 pm and 3 pm, they will also have an Easter egg hunt and family-friendly games.

Immersive Easter Egg Hunt at Fairgrounds St. Pete

  • Sunday, March 31 at 2 pm
  • 2606 Fairfield Ave. S, St. Petersburg
Head over to Fairgrounds St. Pete for this inaugural Easter Egg Hunt! There will be surprise-filled eggs and a chance to find the GOLDEN egg to win a free return visit! The event is included with general admission.

 


Save the Date: Upcoming Awesome Things to Do in Tampa Bay 

The Incredible Duck Race at Curtis Hixon Park

  • Saturday, April 6 from 10 am-1 pm
  • Curtis Hixon Park, Tampa

10,000 rubber ducks will race down the Hillsborough River in front of Curtis Hixon Park to compete for amazing prizes. The family event will feature games, food, and entertainment leading up to the big race. Ducks can be purchased in advance for $5 at TampaDuckRace.com, you don’t have to be present to win. Benefiting The Tampa Kiwanis Foundation, which supports many local children’s programs.


More Things to Do – Ongoing Tampa Bay Events

A Taste of Water Street
Water Street
 in Tampa
These spring and fall events will feature unique seasonal experiences and always deliver on the promise of an unforgettable night out. Guests are invited to experience the entirety of the Water Street Tampa neighborhood like never before — enjoying tastings at new restaurants and bars in addition to familiar favorites while roaming musicians, pop-up entertainment and shops along Water Street, Raybon Plaza and Via Corazon further enhance the evening.

Fairgrounds St. Pete
Permanent exhibition open Thursdays – Sundays
800 28th St S, St. Petersburg, FL 33712
Fairgrounds St. Pete is a permanent indoor immersive, explorable art and technology experience in St. Pete, Florida. Over 60 local and international artists were commissioned to make art for you to immerse yourself in and enjoy.
$27 ($25 for Florida Residents)

Related: Choose-Your-Own-Adventure at Fairgrounds St. Pete

 

Sunset Yoga at St. Pete Pier
First Wednesday of the month, 7pm (Mar – Oct) 6pm (Nov – Feb)
St. Pete Pier
Join The Body Electric Yoga Company every first Wednesday evening for a yoga class at St. Pete Pier. The class will be grounding but fun, with lots of modifications offered to accommodate everybody.
FREE

Art on the House
Thursdays from 4-8pm
Tampa Museum of Art, downtown Tampa
Every Thursday from 4 to 8 pm, the Tampa Museum of Art offers Art on the House where admission prices change to pay-as-you-will, and visitors choose whatever admission price they want to pay. Bring the family and celebrate 100 years of art in Tampa with exhibitions that emphasize ancient, modern, and contemporary art.
Choose your own admission price
 
St. Pete Shuffle Friday Nights
Fridays from 7-10pm
St. Pete Shuffle, St. Pete
Learn to play shuffleboard with help from St. Pete Shuffle’s staff and volunteers, who will get you set up on a court and teach you how to play.
$10; free for members and their guests
 
St. Pete Walking Mural Tours
Saturdays from 10-11:30am,
St. Pete
Tour begins at Florida CraftArt, 501 Central Ave. in downtown St. Petersburg Visitors will hear the inside stories of the making of over 30 murals found in the four-block tour. Limited to 20 people, must book before 4 p.m. the prior day. Bring water for hydration and the necessary rain gear if the weather looks threatening.
$20

Looking for more things to do this week?

Check out this guide to family-friendly events in Tampa Bay from our sister publication Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine. Heading to Orlando? Here’s a guide to the best Orlando events this month at the theme parks and beyond.