- TAMPA BAY BLACK HERITAGE FESTIVAL
- HORN BLAST: Eric Darius at last year's Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival.
Honor MLK's legacy and the holiday weekend in his owner at the 14th Annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival, which celebrates the indelible influences of African-American culture just in time for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and just ahead of Black Heritage Month. With a loaded itinerary of soulful music, local cuisine, handmade crafts, workshops and lectures, the family-friendly fest will offer a wide variety of events through Jan. 25. Funk legends The Ohio Players will bring their timeless sounds to Curtis Hixon Park on Sat., Jan. 18. Pieces of a Dream will preserve the momentum on Sunday with their R&B/jazz fusion. Rogers Park Golf Course will host the 8th Annual Heritage Golf Classic on Jan. 20. Youth Night — honoring African-American icons — will take place the following evening at Howard W. Blake High School. The exhibit Above the Fray will feature historic African-American quilts of Eatonville, provided by the Zora Neale Hurston Museum. Events will also include a Leadership Luncheon, a lecture featuring actor Hill Harper, and a Gospel Night. Jan. 16-25, tampablackheritage.org. Pictured: Eric Darius; photo provided by Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival. (Melanie Wiesen contributed to this report.)
Remember those Choose Your Own Adventure books and the fantastical illustrations of H.G. Wells’ novels? Daniel Mrgan’s new solo show at Bluelucy harks back to those magical escapades with a uniquely modern twist.
- Daniel Mrgan
His supernatural, faux-historical travelogue, Sir Dr. Admiral Rupert Xavier’s Paper Plane Flights to Exotic Mind Destinations, is more than a mouthful. The show explores the life and times of an unlikely fictional hero with wood-burned illustrations chock full of “melancholy spirits, platonic romance, non-scientific facts, and award-winning haircuts.” Mrgan, a graphic designer, illustrator, and woodburner, has an Easter European background and special affection for the region’s folk art and stop-motion films. Opening reception is Sat., Jan. 18, 7-11 p.m. at Bluelucy, 653 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. On display through Feb. 9, 727-251-8529, bluelucy.net.
Gasparilla Children's Festival Time to take the little ones to Tampa's favorite G-rated pirate romp. Info here.
MOSI's Festival of Chocolate Click here for details. mosi.org.
’80s Hair Metal Glam Party Bust out that Aqua Net and salute the power balladry of Poison, Mötley Crüe et al. DJs CUB and CatMat spin. Costume contests and more. 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Free. New World Brewery, Ybor City. facebook.com/newworldbrewery
Warhol: Art. Fame. Mortality. The Dalí Museum’s ballyhooed exhibition of paintings, drawings, photographs, films and unique screen test booth in celebration of Dalí’s kindred spirit in pop culture fetishizing. thedali.org.
Kite Fest on Treasure Island Watch big flying contraptions set to music and designed with all sorts of themes. Weather permitting, of course. Takes place Saturday and Sunday behind the Thunderbird in Treasure Island. facebook.com/kitingtampabay.
