The Saturday Downtown Indie Market is today. Designers, artists, horticulturists, crafters and nonprofit groups take over the sidewalks of the 600 block in a younger, cooler DIY outdoor bazaar than what’s typically offered in the Bay area first Saturday of every month. 600 Block, Between Sixth and Seventh avenues, St. Petersburg. sixhundredblock.com.
The Love Luau talent showcase and open mic at New World Brewery hosted by Charlie Doan and David Waterman (pictured above) sends up romantic love and the havoc it wreaks on our lives, a tradition that started with a successful Tears for Beers Valentine’s Day open mic for the lovelorn. Starts at 7 p.m. Sat. night. Admission is free. 1313 E. Eighth Ave., Ybor City. Click here for the Facebook event page, and click here for John Nowicki's special promo video.
Support local director/playwright Lil Barcaski and see her amusing, heartfelt play, The Year of Living Independently, at the Studio@620 Sat. evening at 6 p.m. and Sun. at 3 p.m. The play follows Sal Hannigan, whose wife gives him an ultimatum: Either his father moves out, or she does. Desperate to save his marriage, he asks his aging, difficult father to move into an assisted living facility. When Sal's wife ends up leaving him anyway, he and his father both have to learn to live independently for the first time in their lives. Admission is $20, $15 for students and seniors.
Ruth Bernhard, a black-and-white photographer of the mid-20th century has been associated with the likes of Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, her mentor. Bernhard saw abstract beauty in the bodies of women, and the Florida Museum of Photographic Art exhibition Ruth Bernhard: Body and Form celebrates her legacy. The exhibit opens Sat., Sept. 6, and runs through Nov. 30, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, 400 N. Ashley Drive, Cube 200, Tampa, 813-221-2222, fmopa.org.
On Sat. afternoon, beginning at 4 p.m., Wilson's Book World in St. Pete will host an exhibition of local writers' voices. Poetry, Fiction, Music and Beverages. Jon Chopan, Erica Dawson, Andrew Harlan, Christina Lutz, Aaron Styza and Scott Ward.
Two theme parks are enticing visitors this weekend: Weeki Wachee celebrates International Literacy Day on Sunday and will grant you free admission if you show your library card or checked out library book, and Busch Gardens' scary 60mph drop ride Falcon's Fury is now open. has Admission is waived for anyone who has a library card, a book checked out from the library or donates a new or gently used, family-friendly book.
See a fantastic 1970s-era sci-fi double feature at Capitol Theatre, sponsored by Creative Loafing. Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters Of The Third Kind at 7 p.m. Ridley Scott’s Alien will be showing after, around 9:30. Admission for both movies is only $7. Buy tickets in advance at atthecap.com.
Some modern, eloquent sounds can be enjoyed tonight at Crowbar — Today the Moon, Tomorrow the Sun (pictured) with Atlantic Oceans and Sun Signs. Read here for more live music live this weekend.
The city of Tarpon Springs transports locals to the Old World via its historic and touristy Sponge Docks tonight during its monthly Night in the Islands event. Enjoy Greek music, dancing, and dining on the street, preceded by an hour of free Greek dance lessons from 6-7 p.m. The night is a fun time all Tampa Bay residents should experience at least once. You’ll feel like you’re in Crete as the sun sets and Greek folk tunes and savory Mediterranean cuisine fill the air. Sat., Sept. 6, 6-11 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 4, 6-11 p.m.; Sat., Nov. 1, 6-11 p.m. Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, Dodecanese Boulevard, Tarpon Springs. tarponarts.org.
Last but definitely not least, two of Hollywood's all-time funniest men are headlining a show at the Mahaffey. See A Very Stupid Conversation with Steve Martin and Martin Short at 7:30 p.m. Read more about the show and an interview with Martin Short here.