Things to do in Tampa this weekend, Oct. 16 to 18

The Tampa Pig Jig brings Thomas Rhett to the riverfront Saturday, the Lightning and the Buccaneers both play at home, and Halloween nights continue at ZooTampa and MOSI.

Last checked Oct. 14, 2026. Listings come from the City of Tampa calendar and each organizer’s own page, linked with every entry. This page is rebuilt every Thursday.

Friday, Oct. 16

• Rhythm and Hues: An Alleyway Art Show, 6 to 9 p.m., Rialto Theater Alleyway, 1617 N. Franklin St. in Tampa Heights. Free. Local artists fill the alley at this quarterly pop-up. Tampa Downtown Partnership.
• Bassem Youssef, 7:30 p.m., Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St. The comedian’s Belly of the Beast Tour; reserved seats are $49.50 to $89.50 plus taxes and fees. Tampa Theatre.
• J.C. Newman Haunted Factory, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., El Reloj cigar factory, 2701 N. 16th St. $25, tickets required. A haunted walk through parts of the historic factory rarely open to the public, with tours leaving about every 20 minutes. Also Saturday. City calendar listing.
• High school football: Middleton at Hillsborough, Robinson at King, East Bay at Blake and Leto at Tampa Bay Tech. Kickoff times and the rest of the season are on our Friday night football page.

Saturday, Oct. 17

• Walk to End Alzheimer’s, Benchmark International Arena, 401 Channelside Drive. Registration opens at 8 a.m., the Promise Garden ceremony is at 8:30 a.m. and the walk follows. Free to join; sign up at alz.org/TampaWalk. City calendar listing.
• Ybor City Saturday Market, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Ybor City. Free. Ybor City Saturday Market.
• Tampa Senior Bacchanal, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5107 N. 22nd St. in East Tampa. A Caribbean music, dance and food party, free for seniors 55 and older; registration required. City calendar listing.
• PD13 Street Legal, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 13605 N. 22nd St. The Hillsborough County Public Defender’s Office brings free legal help, health care and housing and job resources, plus the tax collector’s bus for IDs and vehicle registration. Free. City calendar listing.
• Tampa Pig Jig, Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, 1001 N. Boulevard. The first act is on at about 1 p.m. and the headliner at about 8 p.m. Thomas Rhett, Midland, Kameron Marlowe, Sister Hazel and Cassidy Daniels play, with a corporate barbecue contest raising money for NephCure. Tampa Pig Jig.
• Lightning vs. Vancouver Canucks, 4 p.m., Benchmark International Arena. Lightning schedule.
• Spooktacular Science, 6 to 9 p.m., MOSI, 4801 E. Fowler Ave. From $20. Halloween experiments, a planetarium show and liquid nitrogen ice cream for all ages. MOSI.
• USF vs. Kent State, 7 p.m., Raymond James Stadium. College football. USF Athletics.
• Zoltan Kaszas, 7 p.m., Tampa Theatre. Stand-up; seats $35 to $55 plus taxes and fees. Tampa Theatre.

Sunday, Oct. 18

• Water Street Sunday Market, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Water Street between Channelside Drive and Cumberland Avenue. Free. More than 70 vendors on the third Sunday of each month. Tampa Bay Markets.
• Buccaneers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m., Raymond James Stadium. Buccaneers schedule.
• Grief Sucks: KevOnStage, 7:30 p.m., Tampa Theatre. A one-man comedy show for ages 18 and older; seats $45.50 to $75.50 plus taxes and fees. Tampa Theatre.

All weekend

• Creatures of the Night, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, 1101 W. Sligh Ave., Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Event admission after 4 p.m. is $34.95 Friday and Sunday and $39.95 Saturday. Saturday is a blockout night for Zoo Fun tickets, and the zoo suggests Friday or Sunday for the best visit. ZooTampa.
• Art Fair Tampa, through Sunday at the Tampa Convention Center, 333 S. Franklin St., with 300 artists. Art Fair Tampa.
• Misery, Jobsite Theater’s stage version of the Stephen King story, in the Jaeb Theater at the Straz Center through Nov. 8. Straz Center.

More shows and exhibitions are on our arts and exhibitions this month page, and the full month is on things to do this month.

Regular weekend fixtures

• Ybor City Saturday Market: every Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from October through April.
• Sunday markets: a different neighborhood each week of the month. Days and places are on our farmers markets page.

Getting there

The city has issued a traffic advisory for Saturday: expect heavier traffic downtown all day, with the Alzheimer’s walk on Bayshore Boulevard in the morning, Art Fair Tampa and a franchise expo at the Convention Center, the Pig Jig from 1 p.m., the Lightning at 4 p.m., Straz shows in the evening and USF at Raymond James at 7 p.m. The city suggests the free TECO Line Streetcar, HART buses, scooters or bikes; all city downtown garages have free covered bike parking, and the arena runs a free bike valet for events. Our getting around page has the city’s parking hours by neighborhood, and road construction and closures has the lane closures to know about.

Send us your event

Running something in Tampa? Email hello@tampalivenews.com with the date, time, venue, price and a photo. Listings are free and go on this page and in our events diary.

Frequently asked questions

What is there to do in Tampa this weekend?

The Tampa Pig Jig fills Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park on Saturday with Thomas Rhett headlining, the Lightning host Vancouver at 4 p.m. Saturday, USF plays Kent State at 7 p.m. Saturday, the Buccaneers play the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. Sunday, and Creatures of the Night runs at ZooTampa Friday through Sunday.

What is free in Tampa this weekend?

The Rhythm and Hues alleyway art show in Tampa Heights on Friday, the Ybor City Saturday Market, the Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday morning and the Water Street Sunday Market downtown are all free to attend.

What time is the Tampa Pig Jig and where do I park?

The first band takes the stage at about 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, and the headliner is due at about 8 p.m., the organizers say. The festival is at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, 1001 N. Boulevard; tickets are on the Pig Jig site. Our getting around page lists the city’s parking hours by neighborhood.