Travel guru Rick Steves is playing a St. Pete concert with The Florida Orchestra next year

UPDATE: TFO has changed the date and time for one of the performances.

By Ray Roa on Mon, Jul 31, 2023 at 2:01 pm

Photo c/o The Florida Orchestra

Rick Steves who plays Duke Energy Center at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida on March 15-16, 2024.

There’s a moment in everyone’s European travels when they’re sitting on a tour or guide boat and look up from their Rick Steves book to find at least two other people reading the same one.

When it comes to traveling the continent, Steves, 68, is pretty much god, and next year he’s going to spread the good word as part of an unusual performance alongside The Florida Orchestra (TFO).

UPDATE: On Jan. 11, TFO announced a change in schedule, and now Steves is playing two shows (2 p.m. and 8 p.m.) on Saturday, March 16.

Tickets to see Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey with The Florida Orchestra—happening twice on Saturday, March 16, 2024 at Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg—go on sale to the public on Tuesday, Sept. 12 and start at $35.

A spokesperson for TFO told Creative Loafing that the PBS star is onstage telling stories, with the orchestra’s musical director Michael Francis leading the ensemble as it plays in front of a big screen.

“Unlike anything we’ve ever done. And he doesn’t do many of these concerts,” Kelly Smith, TFO’s Chief Communications Officer added.

Music has played a part in the 11 seasons of “Rick Steves' Europe." Steves—a big Beatles fan—also used to teach piano, so maybe he’ll play a tune or two. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

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About The Author

Ray Roa

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief in August 2019. Past work can be seen at Suburban Apologist, Tampa Bay Times, Consequence of Sound and The...

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