Pinellas County Artists Receive $350,000 for Month-Long Festival

Residents of Pinellas County can access a dense calendar of free and discounted arts events beginning in early November. The initiative, titled Art Everywhere, runs until December 6, 2026. The goal is to showcase the county as a viable destination for culture and performance. Many of the scheduled activities were already planned by local organizations before the grant was awarded.

Creative Pinellas, operating under the Visit St. Pete-Clearwater umbrella, distributed $350,000 in grants. These funds support nearly 30 different artists and arts organizations across the county. The financial backing allowed many groups to expand their existing programs. In some cases, the money increased the scale of performances or added new components to events that were already on the books.

Theatgoers can take advantage of buy-one-get-one-free ticket offers for specific November productions. The discount applies to The DaVinci Code at freeFall Theatre. It also covers Destroying David at the Off-Central. Regrets Only at The Studio in Dead Canary Theatre qualifies for the offer. Story Keepers at First United Methodist Church in Pinellas Park presents A Bodega Princess Remembers La Fiesta de los Reyes Magos, 1998. American Stage includes Meteor Shower in the promotion.

A variety of free admission days are scheduled for popular venues. The Penny Lane Beatles Museum offers free entry on the mornings of November 1 and November 4. The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art waives admission fees on November 8. On that same date, the museum hosts a Native American Heritage Month Celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Outdoor and community events fill the mid-month period. The SHINE St. Petersburg Mural Festival takes place from November 5 to 16 at various locations. Clearwater World Music Heritage Festival runs from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on November 14 at the Clearwater Historical Society. Print Party at the Preserve offers hands-on workshops in silkscreening and block printing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on November 14 at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve.

Music enthusiasts have multiple options later in the month. The Suncoast Jazz Festival occurs from November 20 to 22 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Beach. Candlelight & Strings features the Paradies String Quartet and cellist Liz Glushko on November 20 and 21 at First Presbyterian Church of Dunedin. Music Under the Stars presents Dimas Sanchez the Afro Latin Jazz Project on November 6 and Tito Puente Jr. on November 27 at the ArtsXchange Rosie Cohen Stage.

The festival concludes with several large-scale gatherings. Creative Carnaval runs from December 4 to 6 at the Safety Harbor Art & Music Center. Brushes on the Beach invites artists to work plein air at the Beach Art Center in Indian Rocks Beach on December 5. Clearwater Illuminations, a lantern festival and international night market, takes place all day on December 6 in Coachman Park. The event is organized by the nonprofit Clearwater Sister Cities in tribute to Nagano, Japan.