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Tampa Bay’s live music scene is very much alive, but venues of all sizes face challenges to their wellbeing
What is the state of play these days?
The best live music coming to Tampa Bay July 27-August 3
With a bunch of free shows included.
St. Pete vegan eatery Freya’s Diner will close next week
Its Central Avenue space, alongside its sister concept Valhalla Bakery, is currently up for sale.
St. Pete’s Zubrick Magic Theatre celebrates second anniversary this weekend
The theater was founded just as COVID-19 mask mandates let up.
CMT Award-winning duo Maddie & Tae makes Clearwater debut on Friday
The pair made its local headlining debut at the 2017 iteration of Florida Strawberry Festival.
Miami shoegaze band Foxgloves surfs into Tampa on Friday
The Tilt and Floating Boy open the show.
Between The Buried and Me, without guitarist Dustie Waring, plays St. Pete this weekend
Waring was accused of assaulting a drunk fan.
Bedside Kites, side project of Tampa rock band Charlie, plays free Friday concert
Laverty, Dunies and Jack Vinoy open the show.
Downtown Tampa’s Rock the Park celebrates 13 years of free concerts in August
Complete with an afterparty at The Hub on Aug. 3.
Tampa Theatre’s ‘Jurassic Park’-themed beer festival is this weekend
Have you ever seen a Tyrannosaurus, wrecked?
Streetlight Taco, a new concept specializing in regional Mexican cuisine, opens in South Tampa this fall
The upcoming restaurant shares managing partners with Michelin-starred Rocca.
Tampa Bay Comic Con says its guest list hasn’t been impacted by actor and writer strikes
With Hollywood on strike, it’s finally time for comic cons to return to their roots.
Transgender adults seek to block new Florida law on gender-affirming care
The law requires patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria to sign informed-consent forms crafted by state medical boards.
Review: It’s official, ‘Haunted Mansion’ is the worst movie you will see this summer
It’s criminally unfunny.
Tampa Bay’s first Shuckin’ Shack Oyster Bar opens in Wesley Chapel this fall
Its grand opening was originally slated to happen next month.
Ybor City microcinema hosts Twin Peaks brunch this weekend
The event is complete with coffee, donuts and cherry pies.
This Little Pig food truck hosts a ‘PeePaw’s Deep Fried Taco’ pop-up in Tampa next weekend
Ybor Heights brewery Deviant Libation hosts the event.
Florida Gov. DeSantis uninjured in car crash while campaigning out of state
DeSantis was scheduled Tuesday to attend fundraisers in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville.
Florida approves school ‘curriculum’ from unaccredited conservative academic group PragerU
PragerU is not an accredited academic institution, and has a history of “downplaying systemic racism and promoting anti-immigrant theories.”
Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, more headline Clearwater Jazz Holiday this fall
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Gladys Knight, Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram, Trampled By Turtles and more are also on the lineup.
Citing Florida’s new landlord law, St. Pete City Council votes to repeal its own Tenants Bill of Rights
Activists are still fighting for a source of income discrimination ordinance.
Tampa City council wants updated safety master plan after firefighters object to ‘union busting’ firm that crafted it
The firm got a $99,995 payment, just under the $100,000 requirement for approval from the City Council.
Checking drugs for ‘tranq’ could prevent harm, but testing for xylazine is still illegal in Florida
There’s a catch with what the new law that decriminalizes fentanyl test strips.
Vice President Harris blasts Florida ‘extremists’ over education guidelines about slavery
“It is a reasonable expectation that our children will not be misled…”
Teachers unions urge federal judge to block Florida’s dues-deduction ban
The unions contend the dues-deduction ban unconstitutionally violates contracts that require payroll dues deductions.
From tiny to giant, here are seven Tampa Bay music venues to visit this summer
It can be hard for a newcomer to get acquainted with their local live music scene, and in the new issue of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay on stands now, we mention must-visit rooms of every size from tiny, to giant. Here’s what the scene looks like at seven venues on both sides of Bay. Click…
Tampa Bay’s first-ever Yard House will open October 9
It’s across the street from Amalie Arena in Water House.
Seminole Heights’ Far Forest is the latest in a long list of must-experience tiny Tampa Bay music venues
Small spots let us mingle with musicians and make friends in between bands in an unpretentious way.
For many, Tampa music venue Skipper’s Smokehouse is religion
And there are even more uniquely Tampa Bay music venues on both sides of the bridge.
Ybor City’s Crowbar is king of Tampa Bay rock clubs, but wraps up its lease in 2026
And there are many similarly-sized rooms that a local music fan should know.
St. Pete’s Off-Central Players sets the stage for its fall season, starting in September
The nonprofit arts organization—located at 2260 1st Ave S—has been performing in St. Pete since 2021.
Universal Orlando will debut new Dreamworks Land in 2024
Expect beloved characters from Trolls, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda and Gabby’s Dollhouse.
When it comes to Tampa Bay’s midsize music venues, Hard Rock Event Center is a humble giant
The acoustics are great and there’s not a bad seat in the house.
Forbici heads to St. Pete, Datz in South Tampa closes, and more local foodie news
Plus, Elevenses and Gabby Bakes host a ‘90s-themed pop-up this weekend.
St. Pete has changed, but Jannus Live has been like a music venue old faithful for the last four decades
It can be hard for a newcomer to get acquainted with their local live music venue, and in the new issue of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay on stands now, we mention must-visit rooms of every size from small, to giant and large, like Jannus Live in St. Petersburg. The scene: Jannus Live, located at 200 1st…
Simply put, there’s no other venue like The Sound in downtown Clearwater
When you’re enjoying a late-December gig with shorts on, you’ll really understand why Tampa Bay really needed to hear this Sound.
Whatever you call Tampa Bay’s largest concert venue can truly show your age
The amp, along with Amalie Arena and RayJay are the place for giant concerts.
Review: Dr. Barbie bombs toxic masculinity, or ‘How I went to the movies and started shipping Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan’
In a summer movie season that’s defied expectations, where beloved film properties have crashed and burned despite delivering decent, if not great, installments, we have arrived at what is arguably the main event weekend. Any other year, I might have slapped you silly if you had told me that the defining moment for the summer…
‘Small Town’ country-bro Jason Aldean, who closes his tour in Tampa this fall, gets roasted by Sheryl Crow
Desperate dumbfuck Jason Aldean released a video for a new song the other day called “Try That In a Small Town.” We’d link the video for you but it’s already been taken down. In any case, in the song Aldean—who closes his “Highway Desperado” tour in Tampa this fall—references the mass shooting at Las Vegas’…
‘The public does not support it’: No Florida bear hunt this year, officials confirm
The commission last approved a bear hunt in 2015, the first in more than two decades.
‘National embarrassment’: Felon voter group sues Florida, demanding clarity on eligibility
Felons trying to determine eligibility often have to navigate a byzantine system of combing through court records to see if they have outstanding fees and fines.
Datz and Dough are closing in South Tampa
Dough’s last day open is today, but Datz will serve its customers until the end of August.
14 summer concerts to help you get acquainted with Tampa Bay’s live music scene
Including Grrrl’s Night Tampa next month.
SeaWorld’s Craft Beer Festival returns to Orlando
The drinking fun goes down Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through September
Tampa Theatre’s annual BeerFest fundraiser returns with ‘Beerassic Park’
This year’s rendition is ‘Beerassic Park,’ with Jurassic Park-themed festivities and loads of craft beer.
Hunter Hayes is transitioning from country to pop, and plays an intimate Tampa show this month
It’s Hayes’ first in Tampa since a 2019 stop at Busch Gardens.
Loud and proud indie-rock band Man On Man plays hump day show in Tampa
No opener has been announced, which we hope translates to more Man On Man action.
Fall Out Boy returns to Tampa on Tuesday
Opening the show is U.K. rock giant Bring Me the Horizon.
Lawn seats are now available for the Goo Goo Dolls and O.A.R. concert in Clearwater
The rock bands play The Sound this weekend.
Yellowcard’s ‘Ocean Avenue’ anniversary concert lands in Tampa on Sunday
Mayday Parade and Story of the Year open the show.
Suncoast Blues Society brings Doug MacLeod for Sunday matinee concert
Albert King’s covered his songs.
Tallahassee emo-pop band Pool Kids plays Tampa on Saturday
And if you bought this ticket when it went on sale, remember that the show moved venues and is now at New World.
Romántica singer Maelo Ruiz headlines Colombia Independence concert in Tampa
He and Colombian singer Daniel Calderon
Despite death in their lineups, classic-rock favorites Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top play Tampa this weekend
Uncle Kracker opens the show.
Girls Rock St. Pete closes summer camp with Saturday concert at Jannus Live
This year will see eight camper bands hit the big stage.
’90s Tampa punk band Clairmel reunites for free Saturday concert
Atlanta trio Reconciler opens the no cover show along with Miller Lowlifes.
Florida education board adopts new rules on bathroom use and pronoun restrictions in public schools
Educators could face suspension or revocation of their teaching certificates for violating the rule.
Recreational pot backers urge Florida Supreme Court approval, despite Ashley Moody’s ‘thinly veiled policy agenda’
Moody last month filed a brief contending the Supreme Court should reject the measure, saying it is “misleading to voters in several key respects.”
