![FloridaRama 'LitFest' book festival among best things to do in Tampa Bay [August 20-27]](https://www.newsbeep.com/us-fl/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/1787088509_Jesi-Cason-crop-photo-scaled-1920x1024.png)
Jesi Cason Credit: Jesi Cason
The Mermaid Star Motel at St. Petersburg’s FloridaRama (stylized “FloridaRAMA”) would be a nice place to just sit and read for a few hours. Bookworms might get away with it this weekend.
For one day only, the warehouse district’s immersive art museum hosts a literary festival with close to three dozen authors doing talks every half hour, signing books and conducting meet-and-greets.
A press release says guests at the air-conditioned extravaganza can also shop from local artists and creative vendors, including The BookMobile, The Book Lounge, Zenna Henna, Bomi Art Studio, Art by Pena and more.
Some of the featured authors at the six-hour festival include photographer Jesi Cason (whose “Alt-Tampa” portrait book debuted this year, pictured), Bill DeYoung (“Vintage St. Pete”), mystery writer Tamara Lush, and Paul Wilborn.
See even more events—including Wearable Art 20, recurring art exhibits, markets and more—via our user-submitted events calendar and the big listing below.
Arts & entertainment
Surreal Summer Nights Thursday, Aug. 20. 5 p.m. No cover with admission. Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg. thedali.org
Art Conversation Remixed: Florida Artists Look at Art History Friday, Aug. 21. 11 a.m. No cover. Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, Tampa
Mega Water Lantern Food & Music Festival Friday-Sunday, Aug. 21-23. 12 p.m.; 5 p.m. Friday. No cover. Coachman Park, Clearwater. meganightmarket.com
Drawn to Art: Renaissance Friday, Aug. 21. 11 a.m. Waitlist open. Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library, Tampa
Networking Afterhours: Latin Jazz Summer Affair Friday, Aug. 21. 7 p.m. $10 & up. OCC Road House, Pinellas Park. tampabusinessclub.com
Sara Bareilles ‘Grief’ listening party Saturday, Aug. 22. 4 p.m. No cover. D and J Records, Dunedin. dandjrecords.com
Threads of Vision Fashion Night Saturday, Aug. 22. 6 p.m. $60 & up. Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg. imaginemuseum.com
Viridian, Nightclub of the Multiverse Saturday, Aug. 22. 8 p.m. $25 & up. German American Society, Pinellas Park. clubviridian.com
Wearable Art 20: Platinum Saturday, Aug. 22. 8 p.m. $40 & up. Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin. dfac.org
3rd Annual Tommy Awards Sunday, Aug. 23. 6 p.m. $11.75. Richey Suncoast Theatre, New Port Richey
Alex Warren ‘Wildchild’ listening party Sunday, Aug. 23. 4 p.m. No cover. D and J Records, Dunedin. dandjrecords.com
Paint and Wine at Aspirations Winery – Shining Sunflower Sunday, Aug. 23. 2 p.m. $45. Aspirations Winery, Clearwater. aspirationswinery.com
The Tampa Classic: Xbox 360 4v4 Lan Tournament Sunday, Aug. 23. 12 p.m. $40 to register. New World Brewery, Tampa
Diamond Painting Monday, Aug. 24. 6 p.m. No cover. Tarpon Springs Public Library, Tarpon Springs. tarponlibrary.org
K-Pop Photo Card Holders Decorating and Photocard Swap Monday, Aug. 24. 6 p.m. No cover. Temple Terrace Public Library, Temple Terrace
Picture(Sque): Ellen Harvey Works, 1999-2025 On view Aug. 24-March 6, 2027. Free. USF Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa
Art Conversation: Slow Looking with Florida Artists Tuesday, Aug. 25. 11 a.m. No cover. Town ‘N Country Regional Public Library, Tampa
The Friendly City Foundation Art Club Wednesday, Aug. 26. 6 p.m. No cover. Oscura, Bradenton
Junk Journaling – Mixed Media Paper Crafts Wednesday, Aug. 26. 10:30 a.m. No cover. New Tampa Regional Library, Tampa
Art exhibitions still on view
New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations On view beginning Aug. 15. Museum admission $12-$24. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. mfastpete.org
Materiality Art Exhibition Through Sunday, Aug. 16. No cover. Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin. dfac.org
Oh, Cuore Mia Through Thursday, Sept. 17. No cover. Tempus Projects, Ybor City
Through Their Lens: A Journey of Self Exploration On view through Sept. 20. Free with admission ($12 general). Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Ybor City. fmopa.org
DRV Gallery: Five On view beginning Oct. 2. DRV Gallery, Gulfport. drvgallery.com
Dalí In America Through Sunday, Oct. 18. 10 a.m. $32 & up. Dali Museum, St. Petersburg. thedali.org
Bookish
Book Discussion: ‘Atmosphere’ by Taylor Jenkins Reid Thursday, Aug. 20. 4 p.m. No cover with registration. Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library, Tampa
Book Discussion: ‘The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau’ by Kristin Harmel Thursday, Aug. 20. 11 a.m. No cover. Seffner-Mango Branch Library, Seffner
Conversation With Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Thursday, Aug. 20. 6 p.m. $15. Ersula’s History Shop, Tampa. ersulashistoryshop.com
Open Mic Poetry with Norm Novitsky Thursday, Aug. 20. 6 p.m. $5. Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg. imaginemuseum.com
LitFest Saturday, Aug. 22. 12 p.m. $22 & up. FloridaRAMA, St. Petersburg. floridarama.art
Madeline Martin and Sarah Penner (‘A Time of Witches’ book talk) Saturday, Aug. 22. 6:30 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Oxford Exchange, Tampa
Maria Fox (book signing) Saturday, Aug. 22. 12 p.m. No cover with RSVP. The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg. thebooklounge.com
We Are Pan – An Evening with Andre Frattino Monday, Aug. 24. 7 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Tombolo Books, St. Petersburg. tombolobooks.com
Beronda Montgomery (virtual author talk) Tuesday, Aug. 25. 2 p.m. No cover with registration. Dunedin Public Library, Dunedin
‘Eddie Winston is Looking for Love’ by Marianne Cronin (Book discussion) Tuesday, Aug. 25. 4 p.m. No cover. Charles J. Fendig Public Library, Tampa
Mini Bookshelf Bar Night Tuesday, Aug. 25. 6:30 p.m. $25. The Book Lounge, St. Petersburg. thebooklounge.com
‘The Open Door’ by Matt Lettellier (book signing and launch) Tuesday, Aug. 25. 5 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg. bookandbottlestpete.com
;When Trees Testify: Reclaiming America’s Black Botanical Legacy; by Beronda Montgomery (Virtual author talk) Tuesday, Aug. 25. 2 p.m. No cover with registration. Palm Harbor Library, Palm Harbor
;The Book of Murmurs; by Candice Purwin (Graphic novel book club) Wednesday, Aug. 26. 7 p.m. No cover. Riverview Public Library, Riverview
‘Culpability’ by Bruce Holsinger (Book discussion) Wednesday, Aug. 26. 6 p.m. Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, Tampa
‘In Every Possible Way’ by Alicia Thompson (Book club and discussion led by author) Wednesday, Aug. 26. 6 p.m. No cover with RSVP. Book + Bottle, St. Petersburg. bookandbottlestpete.com
Lunchtime Book Club: Good People Wednesday, Aug. 26. 11:30 a.m. $12.28. The Library, St. Petersburg. thelibrarystpete.com
‘The Wedding People’ by Alison Espach (book discussion) Wednesday-Thursday, Aug. 26-27. 6 p.m. Wednesday; 3 p.m. Thursday. No cover. Brandon Regional Library, Brandon
Comedy
Steve Simeone Thursday, Aug. 20. 7:30 p.m. $20 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa
The Strut Thursday, Aug. 20 6:30 p.m. $58. Funny Bone Comedy Club, Tampa
Fool’s Night with Robert Ebeid and Mandy Keen Friday, Aug. 21. 7:30 p.m. $20 & up. The Commodore, Ybor City
Ian Bagg Multiple times Friday-Saturday, Aug. 21-22. $25 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa
Ron Taylor Multiple times Friday-Saturday, Aug. 21-22. $27. Funny Bone Comedy Club, Tampa
Solo Jones Saturday, Aug. 22. 10:30 p.m. $20 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa
Caitlin Peluffo Sunday, Aug. 23. 6 p.m. $29 & up. Funny Bone Comedy Club, Tampa
Zach Mama Sunday, Aug. 23. 6 p.m. $25 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa
Graeson McGaha Wednesday, Aug. 24. 7 p.m. $27 & up. Funny Bone Comedy Club, Tampa
DJ Demers Wednesday, Aug. 26. 7:30 p.m. $25 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa
Character Night Thursday, Aug. 27. 8:30 p.m. $10. The Commodore, Ybor City. crowdwork.com
Nick Mullen Thursday, Aug. 27. 7 p.m. $35 & up. Side Splitters Comedy Club, Tampa
Film & TV
First Frames (Documentary screening) Thursday, Aug. 20. 5:30 p.m. $12 suggested donation. Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Ybor City. fmopa.org
The Nice Guys Thursday, Aug. 20. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
Creed III Saturday, Aug. 22. 3 p.m. No cover. Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, Tampa
Labyrinth Saturday, Aug. 22. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
Zootopia 2 Saturday, Aug. 22. 2 p.m. No cover. Riverview Public Library, Riverview
Dirty Dancing Sunday, Aug. 23. Multiple times. $5.35. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
Wicked (Sing-along) Sunday, Aug. 23. 6:30 p.m. No cover. Sparkman Wharf, Tampa. tampatheatre.org
The Mummy (Pizza and a movie) Monday, Aug. 24. 4:30 p.m. No cover with registration. Palm Harbor Library, Palm Harbor
The Big Year Tuesday, Aug. 25. 2 p.m. No cover with registration. Community Meeting Room at Dunedin Public Library, Dunedin
The Wedding Singer (Cinema supper experience) Multiple times Tuesday-Wednesday, Aug. 25-26. Sold out. Gigglewaters, Safety Harbor
Accepted Wednesday, Aug. 26. 8 p.m. No cover. Lower Deck, Tampa
Labyrinth Thursday, Aug. 27. 6:15 p.m. No cover. John F. Germany Public Library, Tampa
The Super Mario Bros. Movie Thursday, Aug. 27. 3 p.m. No cover. Bloomingdale Regional Public Library, Valrico
Learn
EVENTname DAYofWEEK, DATE. TIME. COVER. VENUE, CITY. URL
Medicare 101 Thursday, Aug. 20. 1 p.m. No cover. East Lake Community Library, Palm Harbor. eastlakelibrary.org
Paint and Sip Night Done Right Thursday, Aug. 20. 7 p.m. $43.99. Aloft by Marriott, Tampa. classpop.com
Craft an Oddish: Stained Glass Beginner Workshop Friday, Aug. 21. 12 p.m. $45. Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg. imaginemuseum.com
Golden Table Talk Saturday, Aug. 22. 8:30 a.m. $25. Mt. Zion Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, St. Petersburg. mzprogressive.org
Ignite! (Kids science festival) Saturday, Aug. 22. 10 a.m. No cover. Glazer Children’s Museum, Tampa. greatex.org
Woven Paper Baskets with Lisa Ramudo Saturday, Aug. 22. 1 p.m. $60. Morean Arts Center, St. Petersburg. moreanartcenter.org
Trauma-Informed Support for Holocaust Survivors Monday, Aug. 24. 12 p.m. $20. Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg. thefhm.org
Leah’s Pantry: Food Smarts with Feeding Tampa Bay Tuesday, Aug. 25. 3:30 p.m. No cover. Riverview Public Library, Riverview
Global Summit on Space Sciences and Aerospace Engineering (Watch party) Wednesday, Aug. 26. 9 a.m. No cover. John F. Germany Public Library, Tampa
HYPE Networking Event Wednesday, Aug. 26. 5:30 p.m. $12.51. Hotel Flor, Tampa. hypetampabay.com
Florida Friendly Landscaping: Attract Wildlife Thursday, Aug. 27. 1 p.m. No cover. Riverview Public Library, Riverview
Markets & retail
Indoor Sip & Shop: Local Artist & Craft Market Saturday, Aug. 22. 11 a.m. No cover. Aspirations Winery, Clearwater
Seed + Plant + Book Swap Saturday, Aug. 22. 10 a.m. No cover. Rosebud Continuum, Land O’ Lakes. rosebudcontinuum.com
News & public affairs
Gary Hartfield for Mayor of Tampa: Campaign Kickoff Thursday, Aug. 20. 6-8 p.m. No cover (RSVP). Location provided upon RSVP at garyfortampamayor.com/kickoff, Tampa
17th Annual Inspire Awards Ceremony & Reception Thursday, Aug. 20. 5:30-7:30 p.m. $30 & up (under 16 free with registration). Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
Tampa Tiger Bay Club: Hillsborough County Commission Candidate Forum Friday, Aug. 21. 12 p.m. $500 & up. Cuban Club, Ybor City
Smart Healthy Living Health Fair & Seminar Saturday, Aug. 22. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. No cover. Magnolia Auditorium at Five Towns, St. Petersburg
Welcome to Brandon Community Networking Mixer Friday, Aug. 21. 6-8 p.m. No cover. 1916 Irish Pub, Brandon
PRIDE
Drag Queen Bingo with Crystal Reigns Every final Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. No cover. Corner Club, Seminole Heights
Sports
Tampa Bay Sun Foundation Free Youth Soccer Clinics Various dates Aug. 7-Spring 2027. Free. Multiple locations across Tampa Bay
Tampa Tarpons vs. Daytona Tortugas Multiple times Tuesday-Sunday, Aug. 18-23. $2.25 & up. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa
Fan Girl Football Championship Draft Weekend Friday-Saturday, Aug. 21-22. 6 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. Saturday. $87 & up. Aloft Midtown, Tampa. fangirlfootball.com
PFL Women’s Featherweight World Champion Cris Cyborg Saturday, Aug. 22. 6 p.m. $40.65 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa
Springboks vs All Blacks (rugby watch party) Saturday, Aug. 22. 9 a.m. No cover. The North End Taphouse, Gulfport
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs (preseason) Saturday, Aug. 22. 7:30 p.m. $30.50 & up. Raymond James Stadium, Tampa
Theater
The Last Unicorn (World premiere play adaptation) Multiple times and dates Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 13-23. $30. The Fringe Theatre, Ybor City. tampafringe.org
The Gods of Comedy Fridays and weekends from Aug. 14-30. 8 p.m.; 2 p.m. Sundays. $23 & up. Carrollwood Players Theatre, Tampa. carrollwoodplayers.org
Jobsite Theater: Penelope Select times and dates from Wednesday, Aug. 19 through Sunday, Sept. 6. $71.40 & up. Shimberg Playhouse at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 22 & 23. 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. $5; no cover for members. Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa
Kasondra Rose Saturday-Monday, Aug. 22-24. 7 p.m.; 2 p.m. Saturday. $14.40. Shimberg Playhouse at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
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This article appears in August 13 – 19, 2026.
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