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Top Tampa Bay weekend events: MLK Day celebrations, Gasparilla and boats

We hope you’re ready to spend the weekend outside checking out boats or watching plenty of parades.

Jose gasparilla pirate ship

The Jose Gasparilla pirate ship floats in Downtown Tampa.

Photo by Jerry Glaser, Wikimedia Commons

It’s shaping up to be a packed weekend here in Tampa Bay, from MLK Day events to a boatload of shows — both maritime and of the theater variety.

Let’s take a peek at the lineup:

MLK Dream Big Weekend

Today marks the start of MLK Dream Big Weekend. The 38th annual St. Pete festival honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The festivities kick off with a banquet tonight at the Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park.

The celebration continues tomorrow with a Battle of the Bands, where Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Albany State University, and other school bands face off. And of course, the weekend culminates with a massive parade through downtown St. Pete on Monday, Jan. 20.

Children’s Gasparilla Parade

In case you missed yesterday’s newsletter — and all the barricades and bleachers going up on Bayshore — the Children’s Gasparilla Parade is tomorrow. It’s more than just a parade. There’s also two airtime invasions, a bicycle rodeo, a preschooler’s stroll, and fireworks.

Pull on that pirate garb, pack the water bottles, and get there early to stake out a prime viewing spot of the flotilla of floats.

The St. Petersburg Power and Sailboat Show

Head to the Duke Energy Center for the Arts Mahaffey Theater Yacht Basin and Albert Whitted Park to feast your eyes on hundreds of schooners, from powerboats to sailboats, and a 40,000-sqft tent packed with tons of marine toys.

Plus, there’s plenty of hands-on fun to be had from kids fishing clinics and on-water boat training courses.

And if these don’t strike your fancy, we have plenty more ideas on our events calendar.

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