Ah, holiday weekend. For some of us the congested roads and beaches plus amateur partiers equals R&R time at home with some Netflix, snacks and a cuddle buddy at home.
The adventurous among us will venture out, and with good reason. There's much more to do than the standard barbecue-picnic routine. Here are some options:
[THU-FRI] Comedian Negin Farsad at USF Farsad is a smart vixen who combines traditional comedy with cultural topics and humorous observations. Friday night she’ll host a showing of The Muslims Are Coming!, which she produced. $15 ($5 for students). Thurs., Aug. 28, 8:30-10 p.m. University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa. 813-974-3180.
[THU-SAT] Sola An evening of solo dances choreographed for and by women. 8 p.m. USF Theater 2, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa. dance.arts.usf.edu.
[FRI-MON] Old Skool/Labor Day at Shephard’s Poetic and mellifluous 1990s backpack rap fave Arrested Development headlines Saturday night with other events happening throughout the four-day weekend. 619 S. Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater Beach. shephards.com.
[SAT] GeckoFest Dust off that old flapper dress or a bowler hat but, then again, you’ll want to keep it simple so you can celebrate comfortably outdoors at Gulfport’s 1920s-themed GeckoFest. The summer event series concludes with a big street party along Beach Boulevard. Free activities all day include a family-friendly Mardi Gras-style afternoon parade, costume contests — for kids and grown-ups — a fire and acrobatics show, and a street dance finale. Circus act performer Sara Schmoo will dazzle the crowd with fire eating, contortions and stilt dancing, and Will Soto will perform highwire stunts. Headliners include local bands the Ries Brothers Double M Band. 10 a.m.-10 p.m., free, geckofest.com.
[SAT] EDGE District Poker Crawl With all the that’s been popping up in downtown St. Pete, you know a lot of independent business owners aren’t afraid to gamble. Try your hand, too, while getting to know local shops, restaurants and galleries by participating in the first ever. More info here.
[SAT] Persistence of Vision Directed by Kevin Schreck, the doc gives us the odd odyssey of an animation movie that was never made. Read Joe Bardi's review here. 7 p.m. at the Studio@620.
[SAT 30] Open Mic Night at the Tampa Bay Theatre Festival Spoken word poets, singers, and comedians perform at 9:45 p.m. after The Year of Independent Living at Stageworks. Light food and refreshments. Read more about the inaugural fest here.
[FRI-SAT] Celebrate Oldsmar Take the family to celebrate the end of the summer in old-fashioned Americana style with carnival rides, inflatables, games, pony rides, live music by the Black Honkeys, fireworks Saturday night and an array of vendors. Food, beer and wine will be available for purchase. Free. Fri., 6-10 p.m. and Sat. noon-9 p.m.. R.E. Olds Park, Oldsmar : 107 Shore Drive W, Oldsmar. myoldsmar.com.
[SAT-MON] Sponge Docks Arts and Crafts Festival Stroll the Sponge Docks and find nursery plants and garden items, arts and crafts from vendors from across the state, photography and food for sale. Free. Sat.-Mon., Aug. 30-Sept. 1. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, 20 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs. tarponspringsfloridausa.com. 352-344-0657.
[SAT-SUN] Cabaret & Burlesque Show at the Flamingo Resort Mark A. Bowers, Daniel Harris, Joey Panek, Matthew McGee, Lynne Sandy Locher, Juanita McIntosh and others entertain in a saucy song and dance show. Sat., Aug. 30, at 9 p.m. and Sun., Aug. 31, at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. $20; reservations requested. 4601 34th St. S., St. Petersburg. 727-321-5000.
[SAT] Summer Jam Read this week's cover story by the awesome Ray Roa about this final jam. Headliners include Beach Day, New Madrid (pictured above) and Gwan Massive. "Here’s to celebrating another good thing one last time," says Roa. Read here for Leilani Polk's must-see acts.
[SAT] Soulbotz CD Release Party Some of the smartest musicians and best drinking buddies you'll ever meet — Dillon Griffiths, Josh Erdman, Dan Kennedy, Arthur Bogalis, Gordon Marshall — are regulars at the Short Circuit recording studio in Seminole Heights, where they recorded the band's new album. Hear them pimp out earthy melodies with rhythmic flair and experimental prog-rock noodlings. Aug. 30, Yeoman's Road Pub, Davis Islands.
[SUN] Downtown Labor Day Celebration Celebrate the end of summer with the Light Up the Night Lighted Boat Parade, fireworks and extended, discounted hours at Florida Aquarium. Entertainment begins at 6 p.m. Facebook.com/TampaAttractions.
[SUN] The Social NERD UP! 2: Nerd To Your Mutha Flee the frat-boy beach party scene and geek out with music, art, video games, RPG fun and cosplay — plus a cosplay fashion show, too. Vita DeVoid performs burlesque and music will be provided by Shard Tek-nique, Mr. Sin, Jack Barbee and Clay. Artists whose works are on display include Joe Traina, Catrina Deville, Jason Bridges, Lorin Winters and Jeremy Rivera. 9 p.m. $10. Free before 10 p.m. for women who wear getups. tekniqueentertainment.com.
[MON] MAD Theatre Benefit at Hamburger Mary’s Drag Queen Bingo Enjoy some fun, food and play for prizes all to help out MAD Theatre. Hamburger Mary’s special Monday/Labor Day holiday bingo game night is a great alternative to the heat and congestion. 7:30 p.m. Hamburger Mary’s, 1600 E. Seventh Ave., Tampa. 813-241-6279. hamburgermarys.com/tampa.
