/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tbt.s3.amazonaws.com/public/YKLN7QWEVYI6TKTRIBWI6S7HAY.jpg "Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla prates Jay Langford, left, along with brothers Dave Kelly, center, and Bob Kelly hold beads after arriving at Lykes Gaslight Park Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018 in Tampa. The pirates demanded the key to the city from Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who refused to give it up. The event marks the annual beginning to the Gasparilla weekend which culminates with the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates and Invasion Saturday. CHRIS URSO | Times")
Plan your weekend
Parade
Gasparilla: Some 300,000 carousers are expected to gather on Saturday for Gasparilla 2018, downtown Tampa's pirate invasion. The pirate ship Jose Gasparilla docks around 1 p.m. at the Tampa Convention Center then it's bead-city as more than 140 units head up Bayshore throwing beads and doubloons. In a nod to the NHL All Star Game in Tampa this weekend, the pirate ship will have the Stanley Cup on board this year and Vinny Lecavalier is grand marshal. You can find a guide with insider tips, parties, parking maps and Gasparilla recipes and decor on our Gasparilla page at tampabay.com/gasparilla.
Hockey
NHL All Star weekend: You don't need a ticket to the sold-out NHL All-Star Game on Sunday in Tampa to feel like you're in on the action. Friday brings a free concert by Fitz and the Tantrums and Moon Taxi at Curtis Hixon Park 5-10 p.m. And there's a Fan Fest in Cotanchoobe Fort Brook Park and the Silver Parking Lot west of Amalie Arena. Fans can get autographs from players past and present, meet mascots, show off their hockey skills and take a photo with the Stanley Cup. It runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. This year's All-Stars arrive for the game by boat through Cotanchobee Park starting at 1 p.m. Sunday, and walk to the arena via red carpet. This might be a good time to try to catch some autographs.
Comedy
Miranda Sings ... You're Welcome: The viral comic character created by Colleen Ballinger is coming to the stage at the Straz Center's Ferguson Hall. She parodies young, self-absorbed singers with far more confidence than talent and starred in the Netflix series Haters Back Off! 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the Straz Center in Tampa. $40.50. (813) 229-7827. strazcenter.org.
Magic
Masters Of Illusion: They have been chained, pierced, held under water and sawed in half. There is no challenge from which the Masters of Illusion cannot levitate to safety. Now the full complement of what grew out of a television show returns to the Mahaffey Theater with dance, sleight of hand and comedy. Starts at 8 p.m. Saturday at 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. $29.50 and up . (727) 892-5767. themahaffey.com.
Art
New Exhibits at FMoPA: The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa is coming out swinging in 2018, with three excellent exhibitions opening Friday. The Family Acid are actor, author and reggae archivist Roger Steffens' photographs of America in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, that feature Vietnam, musicians, hippies and LSD. Former high fashion photographer Jean Pagliuso found a muse in chickens, which star in Poultry, Raptors, Places of Ritual. Celebrity portraits get humorously twisted by Chris Buck in Magnificent Hurt. They remain on display through March 16. Opening reception from 5-7 p.m. Admission is pay-as-you-choose; otherwise it's $10 or free for members. 400 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. (813) 221-2222. fmopa.org.
Gamers score
Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy: Nobuo Uematsu, the pre-eminent composer in video games, will be on hand for a pair of concerts celebrating his work by the Florida Orchestra. Grammy winner Arnie Roth will conduct the Florida Orchestra in selections from 30 years of Final Fantasy games as popular characters move on a high-definition screen. 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. SE, St. Petersburg. $25-$95. Separate meet-and-greet tickets $50. (727) 892-3337. floridaorchestra.org.
Nesting
Tampa Bay Home Show: Get out your honey-do list. The largest home show on Florida's west coast brings the area's top home improvement experts to Tropicana Field. There will be more than 600 exhibits on home improvement, home entertainment and landscaping. Free. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. 1 Tropicana Drive, St. Petersburg. (727) 893-8523.
Stage
A Raisin in the Sun: The first play by a black woman to be produced on Broadway (1959-60), Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, kicks off the American Stage series of "plays that draw on our history but that are incredibly relevant to today," artistic director Stephanie Gularte said. Opens Friday and runs through Feb. 18 at the Raymond James Theatre, 163 Third St. N. $39 and up. A preview Thursday costs $29. (727) 823-7529. For show times, go to americanstage.org.
Contact Sharon Kennedy Wynne at swynne@tampabay.com. Follow @SharonKWn.
FORECAST: Check the weekend's weather forecast while making your plans.
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