Mayor Bob Buckhorn's River O'Green Appears March 16

The annual event will occur at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa.

Gasparilla Music Festival Aims to Put Tampa Bay on the Map

Organizers behind the second annual festival say there’s more to the event than meets the eye.

Scan the lineup for the upcoming Gasparilla Music Festival and it is clear organizers are hip on the idea of delivering an eclectic mix of sounds with artists ranging from blues and country to jazz and rock. What might not be clear is the vision for the festival and its future. Now in its second year, the festival was designed with two main purposes in mind, organizers say: “We want people to come out and see positive change (in downtown) and see what a great place Tampa is to live in,” said David Cox, president of the nonprofit festival’s board of directors. The intent is to “not just draw for one day, but also (to provide) a draw to stay.” Roots for the one-day festival, which takes place this year on March 9, started to grow a few years…

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Mayor Bob Buckhorn's River O'Green Appears March 16

The river will be turned kelly green between the Cass Street Bridge and the Kennedy Bridge.

From Ali Glisson at the City of Tampa: Mayor Bob Buckhorn will host the second annual Mayor’s River O’Green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, March 16 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. “The annual Mayor’s River O’Green Fest is an opportunity to celebrate with the family in downtown Tampa. If you didn’t come out to Curtis Hixon Park last year to see the Hillsborough River turn bright green, then you cannot miss the celebration this year,” said Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “A green river for St. Patrick’s Day is one of the perks of having an Irishman as your mayor.” The City of Tampa in partnership with Grow Financial will dye the Hillsborough River kelly green between Cass Street Bridge and Kennedy Bridge. The …

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Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival Events Gear Up Downtown

Events include a street festival and a 5K walk.

From Kendra Cummings of Vistra Communications: The 13th Annual Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival activities continue with nine great events taking place between today and Tuesday, Jan. 22.  Most of the following family-friendly events are free and open to the public. The Tampa Bay Black Heritage Festival is a 10-day cultural event that features speakers, musicians, artists, poets and craftspeople locally and nationally. The Festival takes place January 17-26 in Tampa Bay. Festival activities occur during the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. Each day of this experience provides both children and adults with an opportunity to increase their awareness of African and African-American culture and history. This event promotes …

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Old School Saturday Street Festival Kicks off Black Heritage Fest at Curtis Hixon Park

The event is at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa.

Elephant Painting Party to be Held at Curtis Hixon Park

The event will be on Dec. 28.

The Glazer Children’s Museum and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® are partnering again for an elephant painting party in Curtis Hixon Park. Following the success of similar event in 2011, Pachyderm Picasso® will be held on December 28 at 10:30 a.m. outside of the Glazer Children’s Museum in Curtis Hixon Park.  A Ringling Bros. elephant will demonstrate her painting skills alongside 50 children. Tickets to paint with the elephant are free, but are limited to the first 50 children. The public is invited to attend. Ringling Bros. performers will be on-hand to entertain the crowd and afterwards will venture inside the Museum for CircusFitsm, a fun guided exploration of the importance of fitness. CircusFit is a national youth fitness program…

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Want to Go Ice Skating Downtown?

Find out when and where.

Ice Skating Open Downtown at Curtis Hixon Park

Admission is $10 per person.

Ice Skating Opens Downtown at Curtis Hixon Park

Admission is $10 per person.

If you're an ice skating fan who's looking for some holiday fun, Tampa's "Downtown on Ice" is back. Running through January 5, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park at 600 N. Ashley Dr. in downtown Tampa will transform into a winter wonderland and feature the city's only outdoor ice rink for community members to enjoy throughout the holiday season. The rink will be open every day, including Monday through Thursday, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., as well as Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. In observance of the holidays, the rink will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. On Christmas Eve, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will also operate on Christmas Day from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $10 …

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OJ Express Rolls Into Tampa

The makers of Tropicana Orange Juice returned to Tampa Bay with an educational and fun promo, the OJ Express.

Amid an eight-city national tour, the OJ Express visited Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park Tuesday morning with a message of nutrition and fun. The event featured a singing contest, food sampling station, games and prizes, and a electronic kiosk for people to take a "Fruit and Veg Pledge." The pledge - which also can be taken on Tropicana's Facebook page - is meant to get people to commit to eating more fruits and vegetables. For every pledge taken, the Tropicana company will donate an 8-ounce glass of orange juice to needy children. The pledge supports both the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) School Breakfast Program and the Summer Food Service Program. The School Breakfast Program provides cash assistance to States to operate…

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