01.16.2026

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🐖 Meat your weekend plans

Presented by Visit Central Florida

Ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, oh my. What’s your favorite kind of BBQ? | Photos provided by Visit Central Florida, via Emily Mort

Do you smell that? It’s the sacred combination of tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, and spices colliding with juicy and tender, slow-cooked meats to create one of the South’s greatest simple pleasures: BBQ.

The 29th Annual Lakeland Pigfest returns to the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus on Friday, Jan. 23 and Saturday, Jan. 24

The two-day extravaganza kicks off the second annual Florida Triple Crown of BBQ, a series of three competitions throughout Central Florida where both professional and amateur chefs vie for the prestigious Triple Crown title (and up to $1,500 in cash prizes).

Pigfest attracts 150+ competition teams, and attendees have the first chance to taste what could become a Triple Crown winner.

So, grab a package of hand wipes and leave your white t-shirts at home, because we’ve got all of the details for a sweet + spicy weekend.

🎟️ Know before you go

Admission is $5 (free for kids 12 and under) with free public parking
Exchange cash for Pig Bucks to purchase food from 150+ vendors and support local non-profit organizations and charities
Enjoy live music and family-friendly activities

🏆 Pigfest history

Pigfest is one of the largest BBQ competitions in the Southeast, and the biggest Kansas City Barbeque Society-sanctioned event in Florida.

Plus: Bringing world-class BBQ to the masses isn’t Pigfest’s only goal. Since its inception in 1997, Pigfest has raised more than $2 million in charitable donations to the Lakeland community.

🐖 Taste the competition

If Pigfest leaves your mouth watering for more, there are two Triple Crown events happening this spring:

Ribs on the Ridge | Haines City, FL | Feb. 20-21
Pitmasters in Paradise | Davenport, FL | April 24-25

Bonus: Think you’ve got the secret sauce? There’s still time to register for these contests.

Risk it for the brisket

Asked

Poll: What’s your favorite kind of BBQ?

A. Ribs
B. Brisket
C. Wings
D. Something else

Let us know

Events

Friday, Jan. 16

Saturday, Jan. 17

Sunday, Jan. 18

Peach Lab + Gemma Floral | 9-10 a.m. | Gemma Floral + Wine | Free, RSVP

An Intimate Acoustic Evening with Gregory Alan Isakov | 8 p.m. | Mahaffey Theater | $187+

See our full events calendar

Feature your event here, or make a bigger splash

News Notes

Number

$305. That’s how much some tenants will spend on monthly rent at SkyWay Lofts II. The new housing complex opened earlier this week in the Burg’s Skyway Marina District. In total, the development offers 131 units for households earning between 22% and 80% of the area median income. (St. Pete Catalyst)

Announced

What’s chestnut, striped, and striking all over? ZooTampa’s new female Eastern bongo calf — which is still awaiting a name. The zoo’s leaders have a hunch she could become the next Moo Deng. But you can be the judge of that. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Try This

And you get a tree, and you get a tree, and 1,000 Duke Energy customers get a tree. Customers can request a free tree online today in celebration of Florida Arbor Day. Best of all, they’ll ship the one-gallon tree to you. (St. Pete Catalyst)

Coming Soon

The Sunshine City is scoring a new slice joint: SoDough Square. The Florida-based brand is opening up a location in North St. Pete later this month, serving its signature Detroit-style square pizza. This is great news for those who agree with Editor Bailey that TBAY needs better pizza options. (St. Pete Rising)

Health

What’s new with Tampa General? The hospital just announced a new partnership with Mass General Brigham to kickstart a new ambulatory network across Florida’s East Coast. Get more insight into the project. (Tampa Bay Business Journal)
Is it hot in here? Frank’s RedHot is the most popular hot sauce in Florida, according to new data from Instacart. If you ask us, hot sauce pairs well with one of these local lunches that won’t break the bank.

Eat

Pigfest returns for the 29th year on Friday, Jan. 23, and Saturday, Jan. 24. Head to SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus to taste BBQ from more than 150 teams, support local charities, and kick off Florida’s Triple Crown of BBQ.*

Sports

Can Shane McClanahan ever reclaim his ace status after multiple arm surgeries, or is the team betting on hope over history? Dig into the Tampa Bay Rays’ sobering new reality with Locked On’s daily podcasts.

Finance

You’re smart — but your spending can still be dumb. Here are the 11 dumbest things smart people waste money on.*

Travel and Outdoors

Let’s get bikin’

A look at the work on the Green Spine Cycle Track. | Photo by City of Tampa

TBAY cyclists can nearly rejoice.

Tampa kicked off work on the final stretch of the Green Spine Cycle Track earlier this week. Once finished, the ~3.5 mile protected, two-way bike lane — featuring a three-ft concrete divider — will keep cyclists safer as they wheel through Tampa’s downtown core, into Ybor City + East Tampa.

Where is the last stretch?

This pass is located along West Cass Street from North Howard to North Rome Avenues, which comes out to more than a third of a mile. Construction on the project should be finished by the end of the summer.

The graphic shows the Green Spine Cycle Track extension route marked in green across a map of Tampa. — Take a peek at the expanded route.

More need-to-know biking updates

In addition to this urban trail, some local biking enthusiasts are also working on one of TBAY’s first mountain biking trail systems. The Southwest Association of Mountain Bike Pedalers — fittingly monikered SWAMP — are making it happen at Lake Seminole Park, according to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. What exactly does a mountain biking system look like in Florida where you know, there aren’t mountains? The setup boasts 10 miles of off-road trails, adaptive-friendly routes, and a skills and training course area.

The Buy

A subtle Valentine’s touch can go a long way. These are our top picks to style your space.

💕 A vibrant heart-shaped wreath with hues of light pink, fuchsia, and yellow.
💕 These love-themed cocktail napkins that are machine washable + made to reuse.
💕 A pair of quirky Valentine’s Day gnomes for a bit of whimsical cheer.
💕 These fluffy pink XO pillows — because you can never have too many pillows.
💕 A set of painted heart taper candles paired with these vibrant red candle holders.

More worth The Buy

The Wrap

Still on the hunt for weekend plans? Might I suggest a short jaunt down to Sarasota to watch a 14-year-old violin prodigy — seriously, she’s won 40+ international competitions — perform “Pictures at an Exhibition”?

You can still grab tickets to see Himari play alongside the Sarasota Orchestra this weekend. And while you’re in the neighborhood, you might as well check out this incredible vintage shop.