This Week in Tampa Bay: Italian Food, Sharkapalooza, and Pitbull's Homecoming (May 12–18)

This Week in Tampa Bay: Italian Food, Sharkapalooza, and Pitbull's Homecoming (May 12–18)

May is winding down in the best way possible. This week brings a British rock legend to Clearwater, a shark-inspired art festival on the waterfront, the best Italian food festival Vinoy Park has seen in years, and Pitbull closing out the weekend right where he belongs — on a Florida stage. Here's everything worth your time May 12–18.

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Wednesday, May 13

If you grew up in the 90s and haven't seen Bush live, this is the one. Gavin Rossdale and company are midway through their anniversary tour, and The BayCare Sound is one of those outdoor venues that makes every show feel bigger than it is. Get there early — the lawn fills up fast for a nostalgia bill like this. Tickets at livenation.com.

One of St. Pete's best indie bookshops keeps pulling off great author events. This one features debut novelist Caro Claire Burke discussing Yesteryear, a time-travel story set in 1855. It's a small venue, an intimate format, and the $6.66 ticket price is a nice touch. RSVP at tinyurl.com/3suuxjxs.

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Friday, May 15

Free events don't usually come with this much substance. UCF art history professor Keri Watson walks through Florida's landscape painters — from Audubon's 18th-century natural history work all the way to the self-taught Black artists who became the Florida Highwaymen. It's the kind of talk that makes you look at Florida differently. RSVP at gulfporthistoricalsociety.org.

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Saturday, May 16

Saturday is legitimately stacked this week. You'll have to pick your priority — there's no way to catch everything.

Vinoy Park in May doesn't get much better than this. The St. Pete Italian Fest brings authentic food, live music, wine tastings, and a vintage car show to one of the most scenic spots in the Bay. Under 10 gets in free with a paying adult. If you've been meaning to go for a few years and keep missing it, this is the year. Tickets and info at stpeteitalianfest.com.

This one sounds weird until you get there. Sharkapalooza is an ocean-inspired art celebration featuring local artists, and proceeds go directly to OCEARCH — the real-deal shark research organization that tracks great whites and bull sharks along the Gulf Coast. Coachman Park is beautiful, it's free, and the kids will love it. No excuse not to go.

Over 60 vendor tables loaded with comics, vintage toys, video games, and collectibles. It's a smaller show than the big conventions, which means easier parking, shorter lines, and more time actually looking at stuff. Kids 12 and under get in free with a paid adult. Good rainy-day backup if the outdoor events get rained out — though the forecast looks fine.

Armando Christian Pérez was born in Miami and he's been putting on for Florida his entire career. This tour is exactly what it sounds like: high energy, relentless, an outdoor amphitheatre in Florida in May with the man himself and Lil Jon warming things up. If you're in the mood for a big show — this is it. Tickets at livenation.com.

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Quick Picks for the Week

• Best free event: Sharkapalooza at Coachman Park (Saturday) — ocean art, good cause, beautiful setting
• Best for families: Tampa Bay Toy & Comic Expo or Sharkapalooza
• Best concert: Tough call between Bush (Wednesday, intimate outdoor vibes) and Pitbull (Saturday, full production)
• Hidden gem: The Audubon/Florida Highwaymen talk in Gulfport — free, fascinating, and probably undersold

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If your business serves the Tampa Bay area, there's no better week to remind customers you're right here in the community. The May stretch from Mother's Day through Memorial Day is one of the highest-foot-traffic windows of the year for local retail and service businesses.

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