Events Blue Crab Festival Small town charm pairs with fresh-from-the-boat seafood, carnival rides, live music, parade and reworks for Memorial Day weekend. When: May 26-29 Where: Palatka Web: bluecrabfestival.com Florida Folk Festival Music, dance, stories and crafts pay tribute to Florida’s cultural history and traditions. When: May Where: Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park Web: oridastateparks.org/folkfest JUNE Panhandle Watermelon Festival It has watermelon in the name, but country music at its heart – plus a beauty pageant, arts and crafts vendors and a run. When: June 23-24 Where: Pals Park, Chipley Web: panhandlewatermelon.com St. Pete Pride THE PLAYERS Championship The Stadium Course’s famed island green has broken hearts and crowned champions when the PGA TOUR’s brightest stars take their best shot. When: May 9-14 Where: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach Web: pgatour.com/tournaments/the-players-championship.html Thunder on Cocoa Beach Returning for its eighth year, this offshore boat racing event brings some of the world’s fastest speedboats and lots of adrenaline to the shores of the Space Coast. When: May 17-21 Where: Cocoa Beach Web: thunderoncocoabeach.com/ When: June TBA Where: St. Petersburg Web: stpetepride.com JULY Coke Zero 400 The summer’s most anticipated NASCAR stock car race continues with 160 laps under the lights and live country music, followed by the largest reworks show in the Southeast. When: July 1 Where: Daytona Beach Web: daytonainternationalspeedway.com MIDFLORIDA Mayfaire by-the-Lake Digital Gra One of Central Florida’s largest and oldest outdoor art festivals features around 165 artists displaying unique jewelry, sculptures, paintings, metalwork, photography and more. When: May 13-14 Where: Downtown Lakeland Web: polkmuseumofart.org/mayfaire-content Digital artists, lmmakers and photographers turn the white walls of Alys Beach’s architecture into multicolor, moving works of art. When: May 19-21 Where: Alys Beach Web: digitalgraf ti.com ti 76 4 VISITFLORIDA.com PHOTOS: STAN BADZ, PGA TOUR; DOWNTOWN CAROL GALLAGHER PHTOGRPHY, VISIT ST PETERSBURG/CLEARWATER What has grown into the one of the country’s largest LGBT pride events, St. Pete Pride begins with an entertaining and wild night parade and ends with a day-long street festival lled with characters, vendors, beads, food and performances.
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