Events & Film Archives - Creative Loafing Tampa

A nature field photograph by Peter Houlihan showing Mac Stone. Captured in a wide horizontal shot inside a dense swamp habitat, conservation photographer Mac Stone crouches in dark water beneath a curved tree trunk. He wears a wide-brimmed bucket hat, a light blue long-sleeved button-down shirt, and dark trousers, looking directly at the camera while positioning camera trap equipment, with a mounted weather-resistant camera housing set on a post to his right under diffused forest light.

Arts & Entertainment

Tampa Bay’s best things to do, October 29-November 5, including a cypress swamp talk with NatGeo photographer Mac Stone

Plus Jobsite’s ‘Misery’ redux, volcano talk with Dr. Mel Rodgers, and more.

by Ray Roa and Josh Bradley October 27, 2026October 27, 2026

National Geographic photographer Mac Stone will discuss a new book (‘Cypress: The Last Old-Growth Swamps’) at the Tampa Bay History Center on Nov. 4, 2026. The event is part of this listing of Tampa Bay’s best things to do, October 29-November 5, 2026.

A news photograph by Sebastián González de León showing Decorations for the Festival de Cempasúchil at Sanchez Farms Santa Maria Tepos Farms in Plant City, Florida on Oct. 24, 2026. Captured in a eye-level medium shot in an outdoor field of blooming orange marigolds, two life-sized Day of the Dead skeleton figures stand among the flower rows under bright natural sunlight. On the left, a tall skeleton figure wears a colorful Mexican folk dress featuring a white lace headpiece with red, white, and green pom-poms, a bright red long-sleeved dress, and a layered rainbow-striped embroidered lace collar collar. On the right, a smaller skeleton figure is shrouded in a black veil and dark garment accenting a bright red chest bow, with a green tree line and farm buildings visible across the distant horizon.

Arts & Entertainment

There’s no cover at this Plant City farm where fields of marigolds are in bloom for Festival de Cempasúchil

The cempasúchil is a staple on Mexican ofrendas that take center stage for the Day of the Dead.

by Sebastián González de León y León and San Pedro Gazette October 27, 2026October 27, 2026

Arts & Entertainment

Cast members of Hamilton will be in Tampa next week educating young voters about November election

“If you stand for nothing then what’ll you fall for?”

by Leif Helland October 22, 2026October 22, 2026

A promotional video screengrab showing A screengrab from a a promo reel for the Haunted Car Was in Tampa, Florida. Captured in a medium close-up shot against a dark background, a performer in a menacing clown persona looks toward the camera. The performer wears white face paint with dark eye rings, a wide black painted mustache, a exaggerated grin showing sharp yellowed teeth, and a red, white, and blue striped top hat over dark curly hair, paired with a blue collared shirt and red vest under dim lighting.

Arts & Entertainment

Tampa Bay’s best things to do this week, including East Tampa’s haunted car wash

Plus theater, literary, arts, and entertainment happening Oct. 22-29.

by Ray Roa and Josh Bradley October 22, 2026October 22, 2026

An outdoor landscape photograph by Ray Roa showing Oaklawn Cemetery in Tampa, Florida on June 25, 2024. Captured in a wide eye-level shot, historic weathered stone gravestones, monuments, and obelisks stand scattered across a grassy lawn shaded by large oak trees draped with Spanish moss. Sunlight filters through the dense leafy canopy overhead, illuminating the green grounds and tree trunks under bright, sunny daylighting.

Arts & Entertainment

Tampa historian to give ‘not-so-spooky’ Saturday tour of Oaklawn Cemetery

There’ll be no jump scares.

by Ray Roa October 20, 2026October 20, 2026

A black-and-white production still showing A production still from 'David & Lisa'. Captured in a medium shot inside an art studio workspace, Janet Margolin as Lisa (left) and Keir Dullea as David Clemens (right) sit leaning over a large, unrolled print displayed on a wide wooden table. Margolin wears a light sweater over a patterned collared shirt with her hair in low pigtails, while Dullea wears a dark sweater; behind them, easel paintings, art supplies, and shelving fill the dimly lit background.

Arts & Entertainment

South Tampa shop will show Oscar-nominated black-and-white film on 16mm film this Friday

Log off, and go analog at Paper Seahorse.

by Ray Roa October 20, 2026October 20, 2026

A street-level Google Maps Street View photo showing The Gimmick in Ybor City, Florida captured for the internet c. December 2025. Captured in a wide daytime shot, a single-story white bungalow features a dark front porch with a red overhead sign reading "The Gimmick Art + Events." A person stands in the front doorway near porch chairs and yellow doormats, set alongside a concrete walkway, green trees, neighboring white buildings, and a parked white minivan on the left under sunny skies.

Arts & Entertainment

The Gimmick, an off the beaten path Ybor City comedy venue, hosts a drunk spelling bee this month

The show is BYOB, too.

by Ray Roa October 20, 2026October 20, 2026

An elevated drone photo showing Halloween On Central in St. Petersburg, Florida on Oct. 27, 2024. Captured looking down Central Avenue in the Grand Central District, thousands of attendees fill the pedestrian-only street lined with vendor tents, colorful murals, and trees. The city skyline and surrounding buildings extend into the distance under a partly cloudy sky illuminated by soft daylighting.

Arts & Entertainment

St. Pete and Tampa host massive kid-friendly trick-or-treat events this weekend

The Tampa Riverwalk hosts on Saturday, while Grand Central and Edge districts go car-free on Sunday.

by Ray Roa October 20, 2026October 20, 2026

An action-packed nighttime skateboarding photograph showing Tampa Am concrete jam at Skatepark of Tampa in Tampa, Florida on Oct. 18, 2025. Captured with a wide-angle fisheye lens inside a concrete bowl, a shirtless skateboarder wearing tan pattern shorts, green-and-white sneakers, a black cap, and an open tan vest balances along the coping during a trick. In the background, another skater in an orange t-shirt and dark pants rides along the bowl's curved wall, surrounded by spectators and bright outdoor stadium lighting illuminating the night sky.

Arts & Entertainment

Tampa Bay’s best things to do October 16-22, including Tampa Am, Sanders-Nixon rally, and more

Plus Art Fair Tampa, Lauren Groff’s ‘Brawler’ talk at the Tampa Bay History Center, and more.

by Ray Roa and Josh Bradley October 16, 2026October 16, 2026

A promotional photograph showing A promotional photo for 'Bat Boy: The Musical' happening at Carrollwood Cultural Center in Tampa, Florida on Oct. 16-25. Captured in a flat-lay view, three printed promotional flyers for the musical rest on a textured granite counter surface. The left and right flyers feature a black-and-white tabloid newspaper cover styled after Weekly World News, showing a dramatic wide-eyed Bat Boy with pointed ears and fangs opening his mouth in a scream, while the center flyer displays a yellow-and-black show poster titled "BAT BOY THE MUSICAL" detailing event dates and showtimes under bright indoor overhead lighting.

Arts & Entertainment

Tampa Bay theater happenings October 16-22, including ‘Bat Boy: The Musical’ at Carrollwood Cultural Center

Plus ‘Misery’ at Jobsite Theater, ‘Constellations’ at Off-Central, and more.

by Ray Roa and Josh Bradley October 16, 2026October 16, 2026

An evening event photograph by Alexis Thompson showing two people outside Tampa Theatre in Tampa, Florida on Oct. 15, 2026. Captured in a medium shot beneath the illuminated marquee of the historic Tampa Theatre, a smiling couple in formal black attire stands posing together at night; the woman (left) wears a black dress, headpiece, and long pearls, while the man (right) wears a dark jacket, hat, and bow tie. Bright marquee lights overhead spell "CENTENNIAL" and "OCTOBER 15 2026," with a crowd of attendees gathered in the background.

Arts & Entertainment

Photos: Tampa Theatre brings time travel to Franklin Street in grand finale for centennial restoration

The tremendous evening was a reminder of the hard work, and risks, it takes to preserve something beautiful for future generations.

by Ray Roa and Alexis Thompson October 16, 2026October 16, 2026

An outdoor photograph showing (L-R) Gloria Jean Royster and Brandie Miklus at the Madame Fortune Taylor Bridge historical marker in Tampa, Florida. Captured in a full-length shot under bright sunlight, Gloria Jean Royster (left) wears a long-sleeved striped jumpsuit with vertical brown, yellow, and black stripes and glasses, while Brandie Miklus (right) wears a short lace emerald-green dress and a black crossbody bag. Both women stand smiling on either side of a green street sign post, holding onto a green "W Fortune St" sign in a park setting with palm trees and a water body in the background.

Arts & Entertainment, Events & Film, Tampa Bay Journalism Project

Tampa historian wants locals to spend some time at the Fortune Taylor Bridge this Monday

Madame Taylor was a freed slave who ended up owning more than 30 acres along the Hillsborough River.

by Ray Roa October 16, 2026October 16, 2026

An interior gallery photograph showing Creative Clay, c. 2016. Captured from an elevated high-angle wide perspective, art gallery attendees and artists browse artwork displayed along gray walls in a brightly lit studio. In the foreground, a woman in a light blue denim shirt points toward a display on the right while a smiling woman in a hoodie stands nearby; behind them, other visitors admire colorful paintings, framed prints, and handmade crafts arranged across the gallery space under industrial track lighting.

Arts & Entertainment

Good Folk Fest, benefitting Creative Clay, returns to St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club this weekend

Come have a genuinely good night, and the night pays for something that matters.

by Avery Anderson and Tampa Bay Arts Passport October 15, 2026October 15, 2026

A waterfront architectural photograph by Keir Magoulas showing Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida on July 3, 2023. Captured in a wide horizontal shot across the Garrison Channel, a small blue-and-white motorboat cruises along the water in front of the modern multi-story glass-and-masonry Tampa Convention Center facade. Tall palm trees line the waterfront walkway, with high-rise hotels and city buildings set against a clear sky illuminated by warm late-afternoon sunlight.

Arts & Entertainment

Citing contractor issues, Art Fair Tampa opening is postponed to Friday night

Collectors will still get private browsing on Oct. 16. The fair at Tampa Convention Center is free and open to the public on Oct. 17-18.

by Ray Roa October 15, 2026October 15, 2026

Arts & Entertainment

‘Coraline’ filmmaker Brad Schiff headlines Tampa Animation Festival coming to downtown in November

More than 130 films are set to screen at University of Tampa.

by Leif Helland October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

A surrealist artwork crop promoting 'Microdose,' opening at Honey Gallery in Ybor City, Florida on Oct. 15, 2026. Captured in a tight square detail shot, vibrant abstract color swirls in shades of psychedelic pink, violet, electric blue, and gold merge into organic patterns with fine metallic accents. Smooth fluid textures blend together under bright overhead gallery lighting.

Arts & Entertainment, Events & Film, Tampa Bay Journalism Project

Tampa’s Honey Gallery invites guests to ‘Microdose’ at exhibition opening for Thursday’s Ybor Arts Tour

The work of Eito Ohashi and a few local artists is part of the offering at Kress Contemporary.

by Leif Helland October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

Arts & Entertainment

Fifty years after city officials saved it, Tampa Theatre celebrates its 100th anniversary

In 1976, Tampa City Council and Mayor Bill Poe narrowly saved the venue after owners signaled a desire to tear it down.

by Ray Roa October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

Arts & Entertainment

Opening Thursday, Art Fair Tampa finds organizers taking a chance, and cover, with the city’s first large scale indoor art fair

UPDATE: Opening night has been postponed to Friday.

by David Warner October 13, 2026October 15, 2026

A dramatic stage performance photograph showing Bailey Lord (center) as Charlie Wall in Tampa City Ballet's 'La Séptima'. Captured in a wide shot on a dark theatrical stage, Bailey Lord stands center stage wearing a white suit jacket, matching white trousers, and a white bowtie, holding a small white ball high in his right hand. Multiple white balls appear suspended in mid-air and scattered across the reflective dark stage floor around him, backed by an ensemble of dancers in period attire beneath warm overhead wall-sconce spotlights against a brick-arch backdrop.

Arts & Entertainment

Tampa City Ballet’s ‘La Septima’ is a huge accomplishment, and it takes over the Cuban Club this weekend

Tampeños have three more chances to see it—Oct. 9-10 & 17—and they should.

by David Warner October 9, 2026October 9, 2026

Arts & Entertainment

[Photos] Everyone who stepped into Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay 2026 photo booth

Roll call!

by CL Staff October 9, 2026October 9, 2026