And boy, are there some great bargains still available from Week 1.
For the music lover, consider this amazing item: Guest list +1 for all AES, Brokenmold, and No Clubs shows in 2017. As CL Music Editor Ray Roa calculated, the value of this offer for freebie tix to concerts presented by three of the area's top promoters adds up to somewhere between $7,800 and $13,000. And right now, on eBay, the top bid's only $265 — oh no, wait, it just went up to $305! You've only got till 9 a.m. tomorrow to get your bid in, too.
Another hotly contested item is also in super-bargain territory at the moment: The CL Space Ultimate Wedding/Event Package. This covers everything you could want for that all-important big bash: event planning & styling, invites, hors d'oeuvres, photography, even cake pops — and, best of all, a four-hour rental of CL Space, with its distinctive ambience (exposed brick and big windows in a converted Ybor cigar factory) and chairs, tables, cocktail tables, AV equipment and lighting. The item's total value is over $6,500. The top bid right now? $820! You can do better than that and still get a huge deal on your special event. Again, this one's only up until 9 a.m. tomorrow, so bid now and often.
Speaking of events, there are still great deals available from Week 1 on some very special party packages: District Tavern's Happy Hour Party for 5, two hours of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at one of Tampa's newest hot spots; Hablo Taco's Siesta Fiesta for 10 (margarita fountain!); and, for a visit to one of the most magical of parties ever staged, four tickets to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Right now these are all wayyyy below market value, so your chances of snapping up a great deal for your holiday outing are looking good — if you bid before 9 a.m. tomorrow.
And while you're on the eBay page, check out all the new items added for the second week, including VIP tickets for 2 to every 2017 CL event; a 7-night stay at Foxrun Resort in Lake Lure, North Carolina; and amazing ticket deals from the Mahaffey (including Smokey Robinson!) and the Straz (including Hamilton's Leslie Odom, Jr.!) Those items and many more from the second week will be live until Sun. Dec. 4 at 9 a.m.; look for the third week of items to go live this Thursday, Dec. 1.
And remember, all proceeds go to the invaluable programs of The Children's Home, ensuring that the holiday season and all the months to come will be better for the children and families in their care.
This article appears in Nov 24 – Dec 1, 2016.