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Top things to do in Tampa Bay for Saturday, March 2

 
The Jose Gasparilla pirate ship carrying hundreds of pirates arrives at the Tampa Convention Center during the 2019 Gasparilla Pirate invasion. (LUIS SANTANA   |   Times)
The Jose Gasparilla pirate ship carrying hundreds of pirates arrives at the Tampa Convention Center during the 2019 Gasparilla Pirate invasion. (LUIS SANTANA | Times)
Published March 1, 2019

Outward Bound Voyage: In what is considered the end of Gasparilla season, at least for the pirating high jinks, Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla will celebrate their conquest of Tampa with a festive celebration at Sparkman Wharf where the pirates will return the keys to the city to the mayor and head back out to sea. The party starts at 2 p.m. with the pirates arrive at 4 p.m. Saturday, 615 Channelside Drive, Tampa. Free.

Florida Orchestra Pops: Women Rock: With Bob Bernhardt, conductor, and vocalists Shayna Steele, Cassidy Catanzaro and Katrina Rose, vocalist, a tribute to the women who changed rock 'n' roll forever, including Carole King, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Pat Benatar and more. 8 p.m. Mahaffey Theater, 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg. $18-$48. (727) 300-2000.

Florida Strawberry Festival: Celebrate your favorite fruit with exhibits, a midway and concerts by vocal sensations Home Free (3:30 p.m., $20) and funksters Kool and the Gang (7:30 p.m., $30). Opens at 10 a.m. 303 N Lemon St., Plant City. $10, $5 ages 6-12, 5 and younger free. (813) 752-9194.

Gasparilla Festival of the Arts: A weekend packed full of the art and family activities 9 a.m. 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. Free.

Weeki Wachee Swamp Fest: Swamp creatures roam the annual swamp celebration with more than 140 artists and crafters, food, live music, dancing, prize drawings and a swamp monster costume contest. No pets or alcohol. 9 a.m. Linda Pedersen Park at Jenkins Creek, 6300 Shoal Line Blvd., Hernando Beach. $5 adults, $3 for ages 6-12, ages 5 and younger free. (352) 597-4424. swampfestweekiwachee.com

Bay Area Renaissance Festival: The 2019 festival runs weekends through March 31 in a time-travel village of kings, queens, jousting, jugglers, mimes, madrigals, archery contests and a human chess match. This weekend's theme is a Pirates and Pet Festival. 10 a.m. MOSI, 11315 N 46th St., Tampa. $21.95, $13.95 ages 5-12, 4 and younger free. (813) 983-0111

Florida Orchestra: Meet the Brass: For this family concert, explore the sounds and history behind each member of the brass family. Concerts are at 10 and 11:15 a.m. in the Murray Theater. Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater. $5. (727) 791-7400. rutheckerdhall.com

History by the Pint: Opening day for an exhibit tracing the history of beer in Tampa and exploring how west central Florida became the state's craft beer capital. Everyone attending today and Sunday gets a free History Center pint glass. Remains on display through Aug. 11. 10 a.m. Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Old Water St., Tampa. Included with admission. (813) 228-0097.

Tampa Bay Boat Show: Dealers from across the state show and sell all makes and models of boats and boating equipment. Also, fishing clinics 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 10 a.m. Florida State Fairgrounds, 4802 U.S. 301 N, Tampa. Free. (727) 893-8523.

Tampa Pro: Considered one of the top skateboarding events of the year, the weekend will attract top professional skateboarders. Tonight there's also an after party Saturday with an open bar and concrete jams. 10 a.m. SkatePark of Tampa, 4215 E Columbus Drive, Tampa. $15 Saturday-Sunday. (813) 621-6793.

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Real Music Real Masters Series: With performances at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., the series brings Eaglemania to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, 10165 N McKinley Drive, Tampa. Included with admission; $89 online. 2 and younger free. (813) 884-4386.

Hamilton: Lin Manuel-Miranda'a ground-breaking Broadway musical runs through March 10. A digital lottery begins two days prior to each performance of tickets sold for $10 each. Visit hamiltonmusical.com/lottery to register. 2 and 8 p.m. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa. $86-$489; prices subject to change. (813) 229-7827. strazcenter.org

Tampa Bay Beer Week: Florida Brewers Guild Craft Beer Festival: Raise a glass to toast the success of Florida craft beer at this festival with sampling of more than 200 Florida craft beers, four food trucks on site and a commemorative glass. Benefits the Florida Brewers Guild. 2 p.m. Perry Harvey Sr. Park, 1000 E Harrison St., Tampa. $45.

Tampa Video Game Ironman Challenge: Compete with the best of the best in a four-genre, one-day gamer triathlon testing gaming skills in fighting, shooting, sports and racing. 3 p.m. Microsoft Store at International Plaza, 2223 N Westshore Blvd., Tampa. $35, $10 spectator. (813) 682-1360.

Nude Night: The pop up event features more than 200 juried works of nude art, body painting, burlesque stage shows, aerialists, pole performers and performance art. 6 p.m. Nude Night Location, 6712 N 54th St., Tampa. $30-$35. nudenight.com

The Gutfeld Monologues: Libertarian political satirist Gary Gutfeld brings the live version of his New York Times bestseller, with special guest Tom Shillue. 7 p.m. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, Tampa. $39.50-$49.50; $99.50-$165 VIP. (813) 229-7827. strazcenter.org

Saturday Night Brawl: Boxers from around the country compete including Mike "Ford Tuff" Ford, Jarvis Lee, Raynard "All Heart" Hill, Marvin "Papi Gallo" Jones, Hector Luis Garcia, Evander "Lionheart" Lamourt, Marco Delgado, Delaney "Lil Scrappy" Owen, Judy Pereira, Joseph "The Punisher" White and many more. Fight card subject to change until bell time. 7 p.m. Yuengling Center, 4202 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. $25-$125. (800) 745-3000.

ZooBrews: Surrounded by wildlife at night, guest can enjoy unlimited wine, beer and spirits paired with specialty food dishes. 21 and older only. 7 p.m. ZooTampa at Lowry Park, 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa. $75-$85. (813) 935-8552. zootampa.org

The Black Queen: Frontman Greg Puciato is best known as the lead singer of the disbanded Dillinger Escape Plan and noted for reckless live performances, wide vocal range, outspoken views and controversy stemming from his bands' performances and interviews. 7 p.m. Crowbar Ybor City, 1812 N 17th St, Tampa. $20-$25. (813) 241-8600. crowbarybor.com

Aries Spears: The MADtv star was one of the longest serving cast members on the comedy sketch show, where his "Talkin American" bit was a fan favorite. He's gone on to appear in a bunch of films, including Jerry Maguire, 7:30 p.m., 10 p.m. Improv Comedy Theater, 1600 E Eighth Ave., Tampa. $25. (813) 864-4000. improvtampa.com

Jamie Kennedy: Years after The Jamie Kennedy Experiment and Malibu's Most Wanted, the actor, producer and comedian has gone on to portray music producer Jerry Heller in the Lifetime movie Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge, & Michel'le. 8 p.m., 10:30 p.m. Side Splitters Comedy Club, 12938 N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. $20-$25. (813) 960-1197. sidesplitterscomedy.com

Mark James: Comic ventriloquist has appeared on Good Morning America. 9:30 p.m. Coconuts Comedy Club at MJ's, 5501 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. $20. (727) 360-5653. coconutscomedyclubs.com

To watch

The Killer Downstairs, 8 p.m., Lifetime: In the eerie new TV movie, a woman finds herself in a fight for her life when the man she rents her basement suite to becomes obsessed with her and begins threatening the lives of the people around her.

More to explore:

Find more date night ideas and things to do with kids at tampabay.com/thingstodo.