Start off at Hyde Park Village's Fall Festival, hosted from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday. Craft beer, food truck grub, live entertainment, games and other festivities abound. The street-wide, family-friendly event also serves as the kickoff to a monthlong pumpkin patch for the upscale shopping district. Proceeds benefit High Risk Hope. Free, money for beer and food. 1602 W. Snow Ave., Tampa, 813-251-3500.
Here's a tasty DIY project fit for chocoholics. Pinellas Chocolate Company invites the public to create and decorate their own specialty chocolate bark from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday. Participants leave the class, the first in a monthly series that runs through December, with half a pound of bark and a gift box. Tickets can be purchased online. $25. 10550 72nd St. N. #504, Largo, 727-914-9866.
Add a little spice to your weekend during the annual I Like it HOT! Festival. This two-day event features all sorts of fiery foods, including salsas, hot sauces, pepper jelly, spice rubs, beef jerky and even pepper plants. Guests can sample items before making a purchase, as well as compete in heated challenges — among them the jalapeño-eating contest, Spicy Lolly Lick-a-Thon, and ametuer hot sauce and salsa showdowns. The fest runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. $5 at the door, free for kids 12 & under. 6340 126th Ave. N., Largo, 727-318-2157.
As CL covered earlier this week, the return of Halfway There is sure to be a blast. The festival-meets-fundraiser, hosted by Tampa Bay Beer Week from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, is the midway celebration to Beer Week in March, and this year, 55-plus local, regional and national breweries are in store. Guests can look forward to one-off beers, old favorites and seasonal releases, as well as eats from Vanchetta Food Truck, Loli's Mexican Cravings and The Fishin' Chicken. Find tickets online in advance. $50 for general admission, $75 for VIP. 535 Fourth Ave. N., St. Petersburg.
On Sunday, spend some time at the Corey Avenue Sunday Market, held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (It's the first one of season for the St. Pete Beach farmers' market, after all.) Shoppers browse the booths of more than 50 vendors selling items like locally sourced fruits and veggies, plants, take-home foods and crafts. Free, money for goodies. Corey Avenue between Boca Ciega Avenue and Gulf Boulevard, St. Pete Beach.
This article appears in Sep 28 – Oct 6, 2017.
