New events slated for 2008 in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg attracts more than 10 million visitors annually to a thriving waterfront entertainment and cultural district. Playing host is an excellent network of waterfront parks, Tropicana Field, the Progress Energy Center for the Arts, Mahaffey Theater, the historic Coliseum, The Pier, Progress Energy Park/Al Lang Field, Sunken Gardens, seven captivating museums as well as dozens of galleries, shops and dining opportunities. Below is a forecast through July 2008 of the city’s more popular events for calendar listing.

Martin Luther King Day – Jan. 21 – St. Petersburg hosts one of the largest Martin Luther King, Jr. celebrations in the U.S. with a national parade with leadership awards and a festival of marching bands.

Spring Training – March 2008 – St. Petersburg is the birthplace of baseball spring training. Today, more than half of the Major League Baseball teams converge in the Sunshine State to train in Florida including St. Petersburg’s home team, the Rays, who play throughout the month of March at St. Petersburg’s Progress Energy Stadium/AL Lange Field. http://www.devilrays.com/

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – Apr. 4-6 – Indy Car Racing hits the streets of St. Pete with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The weekend includes internationally televised Indy Car Races, an American Le Mans race, drifting exhibitions and live concerts. http://www.gpstpete.com/

American Stage in the Park Presents Pirates of Penzance – Apr. 9-May 4 – American Stage, St. Petersburg’s premier professional theatre company, will take center stage under the stars for its annual performances in the park. Beware, Pirates are ready to invade Demen’s Landing for this year’s performances of Gilbert & Sullivan’s wild, chest-pounding Pirates of Penzance presented in all of its swashbuckling glory. http://www.americanstage.org/

Mainsail Arts Festival – Apr. 19-20 – Along with the flowers of spring, St. Petersburg’s cultural community blooms with the Mainsail Arts Festival. Ranked as one of the top 100 art festivals in the United States, Mainsail annually attracts over 100,000 people from across the county to St. Petersburg’s waterfront Vinoy Park. http://www.mainsailartsfestival.org/

Green Thumb Festival – Apr. 26-27 – The city pays tribute to Arbor Day, Earth Day and its designation as a Florida’s first – and only – Green City and a Tree City USA with the annual Green Thumb Festival. The Festival features environmental and horticultural exhibits and vendors, the Garden Club of St. Petersburg Flower Show, a recycling rally, free mulch, more than 2,000 trees for sale for $3, free butterfly plants, entertainment and environmental children’s programs. http://www.stpete.org/

St. Anthony’s Triathlon – Apr. 27 – Ranked among the nation’s best swim-bike-run competitions, the St. Anthony’s Triathlon draws nearly 2,500 of the sport’s finest for this Olympic-distance event and weekend-long health festival. http://www.satriathlon.com/

Juneteenth Festival – Jun. 21 – The Juneteenth family festival celebrates the legal end to slavery in our nation. The festival demonstrates citizens’ and city officials’ commitment to preserve freedom, justice and equality in St. Petersburg through historical programs, health and wellness demonstrations as well as carnival games for the whole family. http://www.juneteenth-stpete.org/

Fourth of July Celebration – St. Petersburg explodes with color and waterfront concerts during its annual Fourth of July festivities. http://www.stpete.org/ http://www.stpetepier.com/

For complete event listings: www.stpete.org/events.htm

Courtesy of grouptravelblog.com