TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – As summer winds down here in the Tampa Bay area and we move more into spooky Halloween season, there are many things you can enjoy in the still summer-like weather we’ll have this weekend.
A celebration of Pride will take place on the Hillsborough River, with a festival at Armature Works, the Tampa Bay Lightning will continue celebrate their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins with celebrations involving fans and you and your family can even sing “Happy Birthday” to an alligator this weekend!
These events are presented in no particular order. If you know of anything going on throughout the area in the future, send an email to online@wfla.com.
1. Pride on the River
This will big the first year for Tampa’s end of summer celebration that will take place along the Hillsborough River on Saturday.
The Diversity Boat Parade will take place at 3 p.m. The boat parade will end with a festival at the Pier at Armature Works, beginning at 4 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m. There will also be fireworks in Tampa Heights at 8:15 p.m., presented by Busch Gardens.
2. Lightning Launch Weekend
The annual Bolts Brew Fest featuring over 30 local and national breweries will be held at Amalie Arena on Friday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Beers will be available to sample throughout the arena concourse and the event floor. General admission tickets are $35.
On Saturday, the Lightning will host this season’s Prospect Showcase against the Nashville Predators beginning at 2 p.m. Photo opportunities with the Prince of Wales and Conn Smythe trophies will be available to fans as well.
On Sunday, the Lightning, along with NHL Studios, will present “Tampa Bay Lightning: 2021 Stanley Cup Champions” film premiere at the Tampa Theatre at 7 p.m. Guests will watch the exclusive premiere of the film and there will also be a panel with special guests from the NHL, as well as Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn and Jon Cooper.
3. Free Museum Day
Smithsonian Magazine presents this annual event across the country, where museums and cultural institutions provide free entry to anyone that presents a Museum Day ticket.
To get a ticket, you can head to the magazine’s website and search for participating museums by zip code, state or by searching for the name of your favorite location.
Some participating locations in the Tampa Bay area include the Tampa Bay History Center, the Tampa Museum of Art, the Florida Holocaust Museum, the 1885 Train Depco Museum in Brooksville and more.
4. Alligator Birthday Bash at Suncoast Primate Sanctuary
The first Alligator Birthday Bash will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary and Mike “The Gator Crusader” Womer will be on hand to lead the celebrations. The location provides a forever home to animals in need, with a focus on primates, but they do provide sanctuary to other animals, including alligators.
Festivities for the event include alligator trivia, “talk like an alligator” lessons, a training demonstration by the Gator Crusader and of course, a “birthday cake” for the animals along with a rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
If you can’t make it out to Palm Harbor, the Gator Crusader will be live streaming the event on his YouTube channel from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
5. Cirque X-Scream at Busch Gardens
The Cirque show at Busch Gardens’ Stanleyville Theater will kick off a steampunk-themed show starting on Friday. According to the park, the show features new acts, including a duo that “spins across the stage,” transformative trampoline tricks and an aerial performance.
Cirque X-Scream will run Fridays through Sundays, with multiple shows a day.
6. Pasco Clear the Shelters at Pasco County Animal Services
This Clear the Shelters event will take place Saturday from noon until 6:30 p.m. at the shelter on Dogpatch Lane in Land O’ Lakes. Adoption fees for all available dogs and cats will be waived.
Since 2015, News Channel 8’s local Clear The Shelters campaign has helped hundreds of pets find new homes. This is the seventh consecutive year that News Channel 8 presents its popular pet adoption campaign to area communities.
Our Clear the Shelters campaign for 2021 will conclude this weekend so stay tuned to wfla.com for the total number of how many animals found forever homes in our area from Aug. 23 through Sunday!
7. Fancy Women Bike Ride
On Sunday, many cities around the world, including Tampa, will host this annual ride.
Started nine years ago, though this is only the second year for the ride in Tampa, it gives women the opportunity, “to be visible in the society and allow[s] them to show their true colors as well as [raise] awareness to create safe bike routes in cities,” according to a press release.
The Tampa event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at Perry Harvey Sr. Park.
The “Fancy Women Bike Ride” takes place every year on the same day as World Car-Free Day.
8. World Cleanup Day on Bayshore Beach
Tampa Bay area activist Jay Magner is inviting volunteers to help his “green team” during World Cleanup Day on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Volunteers will meet at Bayshore Beach, at the north-west side of the Davis Island Bridge. A map can be found here.
Items “Jay’s Green Team” usually collects when they spend some of their time on Saturdays to pick up litter include cigarettes, medical gloves, beverage cans, masks, candy wrappers, grocery bags, fishing line and more.