Just about any weekend in St. Pete can be considered a “big” one these days, with constant festivals, events, showcases, celebrations and more happening in the Sunshine City. However, this weekend may truly be the biggest weekend of the year in the Burg (and it’s only mid-February!)

Sure, there’s usually at least one festival. This weekend alone, there are five that would be headliners on nearly any weekend. Sporting events aren’t new either, but this is the first time in three years that Rays Fan Fest has even happened, and the first time in more than a decade that the hometown team is playing spring training games in, well, the home town.

There are anniversary parties, there are two new public parks opening, and the absolute biggest and grandest celebration of all things local is taking over the streets of downtown all day Saturday. Plus, this Saturday marks the return of I Love the Burg walking history tours.

And once you’ve had your fill of collard greens and honey, save room for that Fat Tuesday all-you-can-eat crawfish boil. All of this while the southeast portion of downtown is being converted into a race track for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. We won’t hold it against you if all the action is a little overwhelming.

With that in mind, this is a quick rundown of how to make the most of St. Pete’s [probably] biggest weekend of the year. As you traverse the city, this is an excellent time to remind you that the SunRunner is free, running from downtown to the beaches with stops everywhere in between. Check out the full list of PSTA routes to help get from Point A to Point B (and Points D, C, E, etc … )

This list of the bigger events doesn’t cover everything, but hopefully it helps get you started. As always, be on the lookout for our full weekend events guide that comes out every Thursday – it’ll be a long one this week.

All Weekend:

ReadOUT Lit Fest

Salvador Dalí’s Solo Exhibition: Editions of the Surreal

Friday:

Tampa Bay’s Largest Networking Event – 9 :15 am

Mary Margaret’s Irish Pub 3rd Anniversary party – 4 pm – until

Coastal Comedy Night with Jeremiah Watkins – 7:30 pm

Saturday:

Localtopia – 10 am – 5 pm

Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival – 10 am – 5 pm

Lealman Honey & Arts Festival – 10 am – 5 pm

St. Petersburg Science Festival – 10 am – 4 pm

Historic Gas Plant District and Methodist Town Walking Tour – Two sessions

Rays Fan Fest – 11 am – 3 pm

Public Park Openings in The Deuces – 11 am

Hawthorne Bottle Shoppe 6th Anniversary – 4 pm – until