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Plan your weekend: Memorial Day, Sunset Music Fest, comic Pablo Francisco, sci-fi writer Jeff VanderMeer

 
It's Memorial Day weekend.
It's Memorial Day weekend.
Published May 26, 2017

Plan your weekend

Holiday

Memorial Day: Monday is the day to honor those who died serving their country, and the Bay Pines VA Memorial Day Ceremony will have Fox 13 anchor Alcides Segui as emcee, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and musical performances starting at 10 a.m. at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg. But first, on Sunday, the Light Up Tampa Bay celebration in Channelside Bay Plaza will have live music, entertainment and family-friendly activities. Fireworks have been canceled this year, however, because of the Hillsborough burn ban. It runs 6-9 p.m. Sunday at 615 Channelside Drive, Tampa. Free. For more Memorial Day events and parades, see Tampabay.com/thingstodo.

EDM

Sunset Music Festival: The annual electronic extravaganza that will draw some 60,000 fans over Saturday and Sunday to Raymond James Stadium, and there's likely to be more scrutiny than ever. Two fans died of drug overdoses last year, prompting local officials to consider pulling the plug. This year's headliners include dancehall-pop group Major Lazer, which les led by Diplo, pictured; trance superstars Above and Beyond and bass monsters Zeds Dead and RL Grime, with a robust and eclectic slate of under cards (Yellow Claw, Cedric Gervais, A-Trak, Tritonal, Louis the Child and many more). Given the controversy over last year's Sunset Music Festival, anyone going should check out all the changes, rules and new security measures at smftampa.com. 3 p.m. to midnight both days. Tickets start at $109.95 per day, $189.95 for the weekend.

Party

Tampa Bay Margarita Festival: It's lime time on Saturday when the Tampa Bay Margarita Festival returns with headliner the Barenaked Ladies (One Week) with opener Cowboy Mouth. Also new this year is a cashless wristband . There will be more than 50 varieties of margarita drinks, including a Sriracha strawberry, bacon and even a jalapeno Cabo rita. There's beer and vodka for the non-tequila drinkers. $15-$25, $30 at door (if available); $85-$150 VIP, $175 at door (if available). It runs from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday at Curtis Hixon Park, 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. (727) 452-6984. tampamargaritafest.com.

Comedy

Pablo Francisco: The MadTV star is working on a new one-hour comedy special, so audiences at the Improv today through Sunday will get a first look at Here We Go Again, which includes animation segments. He's best known for spot-on impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Howard Stern, Celine Dion, Dennis Hopper, Dog the Bounty Hunter and others. His two Comedy Central one-hour specials, They Put It Out There and Ouch, are on the network's most-requested list. Later this year, his stand-up will be featured on the new MTV show Acting Out. 8 p.m. today-Friday, 10:30 p.m. Friday, 7:30 and 10 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday. 1600 E Eighth Ave., Tampa. $20. (813) 864-4000. improvtampa.com.

Books

Jeff VanderMeer: The best-selling science fiction writer will celebrate the release of his critically acclaimed novel, Borne, at a talk at Tampa's Oxford Exchange on Sunday. He will be joined by debut novelist and Harvard graduate Weike Wang (Chemistry). VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy — Annihilation, Authority and Acceptance — became bestsellers and are set to be made into films. The first film, Annihilation, starring Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac, is set to be released early next year. The talk is at 1 p.m. Sunday at 420 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. It's free admission, but registration is required at oxfordexchange.com. (813) 253-0222.

Date night

Blast Friday: The family-friendly food and craft vendor festival this month brings a free live concert from local favorites the Greg Billings Band and the Black Honkeys. It runs 5:30-10 p.m. Friday in the 400 Block of Cleveland Street in Clearwater.

Cars

Corvettes in the Park: The annual show once again brings nearly 200 sleek Corvettes from stock cars to full custom and race-prepared models. It's free for spectators 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday in Straub Park at Beach Drive and Fifth Avenue NE, St. Petersburg.

Art

Alex Katz: Black and White: This is the last weekend to see this show at the Tampa Museum of Art. It ends Monday, which is Memorial Day, but the museum will be open. Don't miss the chance to see the work of a living art legend. The show includes Katz's signature black and white portraits, landscapes and still lifes, with a smattering of color works for contrast. 120 W Gasparilla Plaza. $15; $7.50 senior; $5 students; children ages 6 and under free. Admission is free on Fridays from 4-8 p.m. (813) 421-8380. tampamuseum.org.

Contact Sharon Kennedy Wynne at swynne@tampabay.com. Follow @SharonKWn.