Dinner and a show
Taste of Pinellas This annual festival took a hiatus in 2013 but is back this year in a new venue at Albert Whitted Park with Pat Benatar, Bruce Hornsby, Loverboy, KC and the Sunshine Band and the Blues Brothers. Bring cash in case not all vendors take credit cards. It starts at 3:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at Albert Whitted Park, 107 Eighth Ave. SE, St. Petersburg. Friday's lineup is Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Bruce Hornsby and The Noisemakers, Loverboy. Saturday brings The Blues Brothers starring Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, plus KC & the Sunshine Band. Restaurants include 400 Beach Seafood, 1200 Chophouse, Parkshore Grill, Madfish, The Hangar; prices range from $2 to $12. Go to tasteofpinellas.com for full list. Admission: $22.50 advance, or $25 at the gate; children under 12 free. $75 VIP ticket. Tickets: 1-800-745-3000 and Rally stores. Benefits All Children's Hospital.
Food
Mayor's Mac & Cheese Throwdown Tampa's first first Mac & Cheese Throwdown will be Saturday in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. This free event presented by Friends of the Riverwalk proves one thing: Everyone loves mac and cheese, the universal comfort food. Local notables will determine which restaurant takes home the prize for best mac & cheese dish. There will be live entertainment, craft beer and wine and games and activities for all ages. It runs from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa. Mac samples are five for $10; beer and wine $5; admission free. Parking is available in the Poe Garage and Rivergate.
Comedy
Chelsea Handler In the all-boys arena of late night television comedy Chelsea Handler's show on E! keeps her somewhat removed from the Fallon-Kimmel-Myers-Colbert white guy face-off. But the comic, author and actor has been steadily hosting her own late night comedy talk show since 2007, full of raunchy sex jokes, pop culture skewering and a rotating roundtable of funny faces. Handler is at Ruth Eckerd Hall Friday in support of the release of her fifth book, Uganda Be Kidding Me.
Take the kids
National Train Day at Union Station: Train lovers celebrate at the historic downtown Tampa station with Amtrak and privately owned railroad equipment on display, live music, model railroad displays, food trucks and a history program. It runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Tampa Union Station, 601 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa. Free.
Furry friends
Pet-A-Palooza on Saturday promises something for the entire family at a pet festival that includes dock jumping competitions, pet contests, pet (and person) psychic readings, a Take Me Home Zone and a children's area with bounce houses and bungee jumping. Free. Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. (727) 563-8884. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.
Take it easy
Music of the Eagles This weekend the Florida Orchestra is decidedly unstuffy with the Music of the Eagles. Veteran rock vocalists Terry Brock, Glenn DeLaune and John Hines, along with their band, combine with the Florida Orchestra for some classics. Arranger and conductor Brent Havens leads the orchestra at 8 p.m. Friday at the Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. $35-$75. (727) 892-3337. floridaorchestra.org.
Ahoy matey
John Levique Pirate Days: Madeira Beach picked a light-hearted way to get ready for hurricane season with this annual festival. To celebrate Levique's discovery of the John's Pass waterway following the Great Gale of 1848, the John's Pass Village Association will host a variety of events throughout the weekend including a pirate sea battle and boat parade, a family treasure hunt, adult and children's costume contest — all of it free. Some related events aren't free, see JohnLeviquePirateDays.com for a festival schedule and advance tickets. The festival runs 3 to 11 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at John's Pass Village 12902 Village Blvd., Madeira Beach.
Call your mom
Mothers Day What better Mother's Day gift than a day out with you? Lots of places are offering free admission to moms this weekend including: Florida Aquarium, Great Explorations in St. Petersburg, the Henry B. Plant Museum, MOSI, the Tampa Bay History Center, Lowry Park Zoo and Dinosaur World in Plant City. See TampaBay.com/things-to-do for a complete list.
Music
Tropical Heatwave WMNF-'s 33rd annual festival returns Friday and Saturday at venues throughout Ybor City, centered at the Cuban Club, 2010 Avenida Republica de Cuba, Ybor City. It's two full days, shuttle service between venues and a revamped Cuban Club makes for a more comfortable and large crowd capacity for the stage in the El Pasaje Plaza parking lot. Indie rockers The Hold Steady and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur are among the acts who will perform. The music begins at 6 p.m. Friday and 4:15 p.m. Saturday, and stretches until well after midnight. Two-day tickets are $40 advance, $50 at the gate. For a full schedule, festival map and details, see wmnf.org/heatwave.