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Things To Do for week of Feb. 23

 
Published Feb. 24, 2014

Florida Strawberry Festival: The celebration of Central Florida's favorite fruit kicks things off Thursday with a concert by '80s favorite Styx (7:30 p.m., $25-$30) and Rascal Flatts on Sunday ($55). There are also free shows, a midway, shortcake and lots of deep-fried goodies waiting through March 9 at the festival's Plant City grounds. See flstrawberryfestival.com for a schedule.

Gasparilla Festival of the Arts: No drunken bead-throwing here. Gasparilla goes upscale with this huge art show in Tampa's Curtis Hixon Park on Saturday and Sunday, with lots of diversions for kids. Free.

Date night

Concerts: The jazz collective Snarky Puppy — who took the Grammy for Best R&B Performance — will fill the stage at 8 p.m. today at Crowbar in Ybor City. $18-$20. Heart throb Julio Iglesias will perform at Ruth Eckerd Hall on Tuesday ($49.50-$99.50). On Thursday, Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles brings her solo tour to Ruth Eckerd Hall to back her debut That Girl. $39.50-$125. (813) 229-7827. And Art Garfunkel will give an acoustic performance of songs, anecdotes and prose at the Capitol Theatre in Clearwater ($39.50-$75).

Florida Orchestra: Who knew Charlie Chaplin was a composer? The Florida Orchestra will accompany the film The Gold Rush, with music composed for orchestra by the Little Tramp himself. See it Friday at 8 p.m. at the Tampa Theatre or Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Palladium in St. Petersburg; $35, floridaorchestra.org.

Whoopi Goldberg: The View co-host returns to her stand-up roots with a show Friday at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Price: $59-$125.

Alton Brown: The quirky Iron Chef host will use his humor and culinary skills for stand-up comedy, live music and food experimentation Saturday at the Straz Center in Tampa. Tickets start at $35.

Kids and families

Bay Area Renaissance Festival: This weekend's festivities in the replica of a 16th century village get a Highland flair with a Celtic village, men in kilts competition and a cabbage toss. $19.95, $15.95 seniors, $11.95 ages 5-12 on the grounds next to MOSI in Tampa.

Tween dreams: Tween-pop heartthrob Austin Mahone will be at Jannus Live on Tuesday with nearly-as-popular tweenys, Becky G and W3 The Future opening the show. Tickets $29.50 and up. (727) 565-0550. Disney darling Demi Lovato brings her great comeback story Wednesday to the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

More to explore

Wallet take a hit lately? Find cheap date night ideas at tampabay.com/thingstodo.