Five by Five — A fun night out and favorite among local arts enthusiasts, Five By Five brims with diverse offerings, well-known names and surprises galore. The third annual art exhibition and night of performance features 5-by-5-inch anonymously displayed works for sale, signed by the artist on the back and available for $25 each. All proceeds go to individual artist programs of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County. See a list of participating artists and preview the online before the event at FivebyFiveTampaBay.com. Friday, 8-11 p.m., Tampa Museum of Art, 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza, $10 (free for museum members). tampamuseum.org.
A Nightmare on Franklin Street — Tampa Theatre’s annual horror-gasm is upon us with scary and frightfully funny and camp favorites. The series opens with everyone’s favorite dragtastic ’70s musical to sing and shout along to, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, at 9 p.m. on Fri, Oct 17. Find out what else is showing at tampatheatre.org.
St. Petersburg Opera’s Neapolitan Festival and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci Head to the Palladium for an international cast and 40-piece professional orchestra presenting the best in Napolitano songs and other selections followed by the tragedy that inspired Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown.” Expect a sweetly familiar and lush serenade of accordions and mandolins followed by a top-notch rendition of a love story doomed by fatal jealousy. Sung in Italian with English translations displayed above the stage. Party after with Friday night with the Operazzi opera fan group, which includes young professionals, believe it or not. Fri., Oct. 17, at 7:30 p.m.; Sun., Oct. 19, at 2 p.m., and Tues., Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. ; 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg; $22-$67; stpeteopera.org.
43rd Annual Family Fall Festival and Dunedin Oktoberfest Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School will host its annual celebration with midway rides, games, fair food and a "huge flea market." Hours for the festival are Friday 5-11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday noon-5. Visit the festival's Facebook page for more info.
LOCAL BUDS: An OctoBEER Farmer's Market — Shop till you drop for locally derived goodness and enjoy live entertainment at Green Bench in downtown St. Pete 3 p.m.-midnight. Click here for schedule and details.
Go see a play — Lots of great local theater to choose from. Two of the best options include Superior Donuts (pictured above; photo by Desiree Fantal) at Stageworks Theatre and Into the Woods at freeFall Theatre.
The Florida Orchestra Pops in the Park — More orchestral maneuvers in the park are ins store as TFO returns with a free, fresh-air tradition. On Saturday, Oct. 18, you can hear the orchestra at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg. On Sunday, the orchestra performs River Tower Park, 401 E. Bird St. in Tampa. Both events begin at 7 p.m. More info at floridaorchestra.org.
Cyclovia — Known as ciclovía, where it was founded, in Bogota, Colombia, the event closes off major city streets and repurposes them into safe and open, car-free environments for families to run, bike, play and be well together. Tampa’s Cyclovia will include bicycle/pedestrian safety training presentations, helmet fitting stations, “pop-up” interactive street games, food trucks, “slow” bike races and more. Don’t worry about where to park your bike; a complimentary bike valet will be available on-site. Sun., Oct. 19, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., on Kennedy Boulevard, from west of Nebraska Avenue to east of Tampa Street. CycloviaTampaBay.com.
Don't Stop St. Pete — St. Pete's half of the post-Antiwarpt aftermath gives us indie faves Beach Fossils, Ex-Cult, Set and Setting, Goodnight Neverland, Tides of Man, The Electric Sons, The Resolvers, Crown Marquiss and many more. Read Ray Roa's rundown here.
A Night at the Museum — Tampa Bay History Center’s trick-or-treat party entertains children and grown-ups alike with a herd of historical figures, hands-on exhibits, and lots of candy. Kids can trick or treat their way through our hands-on exhibits and score candy from famous dead people and film/story characters. Visitors are encouraged to get dressed up in their spookiest and silliest getups for a costume contest as “zombies” from the Dance Arts Center of Lutz perform Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” at 5 and 6 p.m. Spooky Streetcar Tours, with ghost stories from Tampa’s past, will also be available for an additional fee. Games, crafts, and more. Sunday, Oct. 19, 4-7 p.m. 801 Old Water St., Tampa; $14 adult, $9 child; tampabayhistorycenter.org.
