BESTBets
40 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
Holiday Lights in
the Gardens
The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo
will once again be lit up with more than a
million LED lights for the holidays starting
November 29th and lasting through January
4th from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The family
friendly nightly event will be filled with
traditional favorites, including visits with
Santa and new creations to celebrate
the holiday season. You can also enjoy
performances by local entertainers. The
gardens are located at 12520 Ulmerton Road
in Largo, (727) 582-2117.
DAVID LAWRENCE/PRIME IMAGES
Broadway star Bernadette Peters will
headline a gala concert conducted by The
Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael
Francis at the Mahaffey Theater in St.
Petersburg on February 1st. Montserrat
and Emmanuel Cerf are chairs for the
evening, which has a pre-concert party
and a post-concert dinner. This is the
orchestra’s premier funding event,
and it is consistently a fun, glamorous
and memorable evening. To become a
sponsor, or for tickets to the gala, call
Meg Carlone at (727) 362-5422, or email
her at mcarlone@floridaorchestra.org.
Multi-awardwinner
Bernadette
Peters, a
Broadway, film
and television
star, will
perform with
The Florida
Orchestra for
its February
1st gala at
the Mahaffey
Theater in
St. Petersburg.
Florida Orchestra Gala
In Florida,
It’s Official
Living in Florida, we tend to
understand more about our wild and
wacky state than others do. In his new
book, Mark Lane exercises his sharp
wit to explain how and why the state
legislature has voted to pass laws
to make certain things official state
symbols. In Roaring Reptiles, Bountiful
Citrus and Neon Pies, you will get some
of the stories behind these official
symbols of the Sunshine State. The book
is published by the University Press of
Florida and can be purchased at major
book stores and on amazon.com.
New Year’s Eve at the MFA
Make your reservations now
for “2019 NYE at the MFA: Flights
of Fancy,” the second annual New
Year’s Eve gala at the Museum
of Fine Arts on Beach Drive in
St. Petersburg. The all-inclusive
gourmet seated dinner party
with entertainment by worldrenowned
illusionist “Magic
by Mio” will be preceded by
cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in
the MFA Garden, followed by early fireworks at dusk. Or join the festivities later
for sweet and savory dessert stations, an open bar, coffee stations, dancing to the
music of InPulse Entertainment and the opportunity to view the special exhibition
galleries as you welcome 2020 with a champagne toast, party favors and the First Night
Fireworks. To join the fun at the museum’s benefit with complimentary valet parking,
call (727) 896-2667, or visit mfastpete.org.