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Plan your weekend May 1-3

 
Jerry Seinfeld’s shows at the Mahaffey Theater are sold out. But there’s laughs to be had, with Josh Blue, left, a winner of Last Comic Standing, and John Mulaney, from the SNL writer’s room, in Tampa Bay.
Jerry Seinfeld’s shows at the Mahaffey Theater are sold out. But there’s laughs to be had, with Josh Blue, left, a winner of Last Comic Standing, and John Mulaney, from the SNL writer’s room, in Tampa Bay.
Published April 29, 2015

Plan your weekend

River of dreams

RiverFest It took 40 years to finally realize the dream of a 1.8-mile length of Riverwalk, and Tampa aims to show off its jewel this year with a big event this weekend: a RiverFest, with an array of activities at 11 locations along the Hillsborough River. The most high-profile will be the Mayor's Mac and Cheese Throwdown ($10 for five tastings) on Saturday and a Bloody Mary Festival on Sunday ($32 for unlimited samples), both at Curtis Hixon Park. There will also be events for kids, pets and fun runs in six city parks along the Riverwalk, as well as the Straz Center for Performing Arts, the Tampa Convention Center and the Florida Aquarium, many of them free. Saturday and Sunday. For a schedule of events, visit tampariverfest.com.

Take the kids

Sing-along Frozen The Tampa Theatre Family Favorites Film Series goes out on a high note this weekend with the sing-along version of the Disney smash hit (and really isn't every showing of Frozen a de facto sing-along?). Wear a princess dress for a pre-show costume parade. $10, $8 ages 12 and younger. Tampa Theatre, 711 Franklin St., Tampa. (813) 274-8982. 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Music

WMNF Tropical Heatwave In venues around Ybor City on Friday and Saturday, the 34th annual band-a-palooza brings the MarchFourth Marching Band, a circus-like troupe of multi-instrumentalists, legendary N'awlins ensemble the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and a wide range of world fusion, blues, rock and more for the most eclectic of music festivals. You can come for some names you might know, but just wander and you'll discover some crazy new music you never even knew you might love. It's $30 per day, $42 for the weekend (through Friday); $35 per day, $50 for the weekend (at the gate). tropicalheatwave.org.

Comedy

Funny guys: All three of Jerry Seinfeld's shows at the Mahaffey Theater this weekend in St. Petersburg are sold out. But this weekend also brings John Mulaney, a boy next door from the SNL writer's room with a dark side at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Capitol Theatre, 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater; $35. And also Josh Blue, a winner of Last Comic Standing who mines the discomfort audiences might have with his cerebral palsy: "You better laugh, this is my Make a Wish," (today through Saturday at Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa $16-$18 advance, $18-$20 day of show sidesplitterscomedy.com).

Classical

The Planets: One of the more family friendly Florida Orchestra Masterworks shows this weekend brings Barber's The School for Scandal Overture, Mozart's Bassoon Concerto, K 191 and Holst's piece, The Planets, while big screen images from the Hubble Telescope are projected overhead. See it Friday at 8 p.m. at the Straz Center in Tampa, Saturday at 8 p.m. at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. $15-$45. (727) 892-3337 floridaorchestra.org

Hip Hop

KRS-One The 49-year-old Bronx-bred emcee born Lawrence Parker comes from an era of rap that birthed groups like Public Enemy, EPMD and Gang Starr. He'll mix stinging and socially conscious rhymes from his early days with rap collective Boogie Down Production (My Philosophy, The Bridge Is Over) with the more abrasive, hardcore style he embraced on albums like 1992's Sex And Violence. Friday at 8 p.m. Orpheum, 1915 E Seventh Ave., Ybor City. $15-$20. (813) 248-9500.

Film

Sunscreen Film Festival St. Petersburg's 10th annual Sunscreen Film Festival has a lineup of dozens of features, documentaries and shorts. Student film blocks, five web series and workshops are also in the lineup, with special events scheduled through Sunday. This year, Sunscreen also presents its largest block of Latino cinema ever, plus a workshop on that growing segment of the industry on Friday, at 3:30 p.m. in the American Stage conference room, 163 Third St. N. Tickets are $8, available at the box office at various venues and sunscreenfilmfestival.com.

And they're off!

Kentucky Derby The 141st Runing of the Roses posts at 6:24 p.m. Saturday, and local bars and hot spots are throwing parties. Tampa Bay Downs (11225 Race Track Road, Tampa) will simulcast from Churchill Downs all day starting when the gates open at 10 a.m. with $2 grandstand seats. At Derby Lane (10490 Gandy Blvd., St. Petersburg), every TV in the place will be tuned to Churchill Downs. Doors open at the greyhound track at 10 a.m. for early wagering and it usually draws a big crowd with free entry.