First-ever Clearwater Beach Family Fun Fest starts this weekend

CLEARWATER — Inflatable games on the sand. Face painting and balloon sculptures. Bands performing on stage. Nearly 100 arts and crafts vendors.

A family-friendly festival makes its debut this weekend on Clearwater Beach, but organizers already are planning to turn it into an annual affair and an addition to the city's fall event schedule.

"We're already talking about next year," said one of the organizers, Rich Gonzalez. "Next time, we're going to schedule it so the Florida Orchestra can be part of it."

The Clearwater Beach Family Fun Fest, with free admission, kicks off Saturday morning and wraps up Sunday evening.

Vendors will set up booths along the BeachWalk promenade. The neighboring street, S Gulfview Boulevard, will be closed.

About 30 musical groups have volunteered to perform on the festival's main stage in 45-minute shifts. Individual performers will appear on a smaller stage in a beer garden.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit the Clearwater Beach Association civic group and Tampa Bay Harvest, a charity that collects unsold food from restaurants and supermarkets and delivers it to food pantries and soup kitchens.

"With unemployment at 11 or 12 percent right now, there are lot of struggling, hungry people out there," said Jay Keyes, president of the Beach Association. "People who have lost their homes, elderly people, kids who are hungry through no fault of their own."

People who bring canned goods to the festival will be eligible to spin a wheel for the chance to win a surprise. The food will go to the RCS Food Bank in Clearwater.

The Jolley Trolley will be making continuous loops between the festival and downtown Clearwater's parking lots and garages, where parking is free on the weekends. Trolley rides cost $1.

"The whole idea is to have a nice event for families, not just an arts and crafts show," said Gonzalez, president of Tampa Bay Harvest's board. "Bring a blanket, put it on the beach and listen to the music."

Mike Brassfield can be reached at brassfield@sptimes.com or (727) 445-4160.