5 Things to do in St. Pete This Weekend

1. 97x "Next Big Thing"

From 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. Saturday at Vinoy Park 97x's "Next Big Thing" is going to rock St. Petersburg. Tickets are $45 today and will be $60 at the gate on Saturday. The lineup includes Rise Against, Bush, FUN., The Joy Formidable and Flogging Molly. 

2. Santa Parade

Floats, bands, reindeer and, of course, Santa, march into St. Petersburg on Saturday as the city welcomes the holidays with the traditional Santa Parade. The parade steps off at 10 a.m. from the corner of Central Ave. and Fifth St. N., and proceeds east to Bayshore Dr. NE, where units turn left to travel to Fifth Ave. NE, before turning east and disbanding at Seventh Ave. NE.  Then head over to North Straub Park to experience a northern-style winter during the annual Snowfest celebration from 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

3. Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA

Under the big top at the Trop parking lot, the circus get a unique twist with Cirque du Soleil's KOOZA. The show runs now through Dec. 16. Tickets for all performances of KOOZA are available online at cirquedusoleil.com/kooza or may be purchased in person at the Cirque du Soleil box office located inside the entrance tent at Tropicana Field. Friday night's show is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday has two shows, one at 3:30 p.m. and a second at 7:30 p.m. Sunday has a 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. show. Tickets range from $43.50 - $143.50. 

4. Cirque Chinois

There is another circus in town this weekend besides, Cirque du Soleil. On Sunday at the Mahaffey Theater, the Chinese Cirque Chinois is in town. According to a news release, their US tour will showcase unique acts such as Great Teeterboard, Grand Flying Trapeze, Group Contortion, Straw Hats Juggling, Girls’ Balance With Bowls and many other outstanding acts. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $25. 

5. Saturday Morning Market

The market is held weekly on Saturdays through May, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is located at the Al Lang Field parking lot (also known as Progress Energy Park), which is located on the corner of First Ave. S. and First St. Shoppers can browse for fresh fruits and vegetables, loaves of rustic bread, gourmet- prepared foods, specialty foods, herbs, plants, hand crafted gifts and much more. Admission is free.