This Holiday Season, Tampa Bay, Florida Will Become More Enchanting Than Ever Before!

Enchant® Christmas is coming to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, bringing the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze, a locally curated Christmas Market, and more 

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (August 19, 2019) – Florida, prepare for your most captivating holiday season event to date. Enchant Christmas is an immersive holiday light experience that will transport guests to a world of Christmas wonder, with trees up to 80 feet tall, larger-than-life ornaments, twinkling snowflakes and, of course, Santa in a glittering sleigh. Brighter and more heartwarming than your wildest holiday dreams, Enchant will make its Florida debut at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, November 22 – December 29. The outfield will be transformed into a twinkling maze of stunning light displays and a Christmas Market stocked with over 60 local food and artisan merchant vendors. The infield will house an ice-skating trail adorned with spectacularly lit archways. Additionally, the RaysClub along with other premium areas will become available for VIP and private holiday party experiences. 

Enchant Christmas boasts five completely different and custom-designed Light Maze experiences, each individually based on Enchant-produced original stories that chronicle the beloved, yet mischievous elf, Eddie, whose Christmas adventures drive the physical maze experiences. The story coming to St. Petersburg this holiday season, entitled “The Great Search,” follows the tale of the disappearance of Santa’s reindeer just before Christmas Eve. As guests of Enchant, your charge is to search the 90,000 square foot light maze for all nine of Santa’s reindeer. In 2018, guests of “The Great Search” experience exclaimed “It was such a beautiful and magical experience! The lights and the sculptures were amazing” (J. Hansen/Google) and “MUST experience live to fully comprehend this magical experience! Fun for 3 generations of my family!“ (K. Lubahn/Google) Throughout the entire experience, guests will be captivated by truly larger-than-life light displays, children will revel in the magic, all the while surrounded by falling snow, hot cocoa in hand, with holiday music spreading the holiday spirit from start to finish.

“After overwhelmingly popular events in Seattle, Washington, Vancouver, Canada and Dallas, Texas, we are grateful for the opportunity to work with the Rays and to bring Enchant Christmas to the greater Tampa Bay community and beyond” said Kevin Johnston, founder of Enchant Christmas. “Enchant is a one-of-a-kind holiday experience… the lights, the sounds, the entertainment, the entire experience aims to wrap people in the holiday spirit. Every year I look forward to the awestruck faces as guests walk towards the maze for the first time. It is hard not to crack a smile when you see young and old in wonder – and that is what Enchant is all about.”

“The Rays are thrilled to host Enchant at Tropicana Field during the holiday season,” said Rays President Brian Auld. “Tampa Bay has not seen anything like this before, and it will leave a lasting impression on those who come to experience the holiday magic.”

Within Enchant Christmas, a world of Christmas wonder awaits holiday revelers in the form of these festive activities:

  • The Christmas Light Maze – “The Great Search” is the World’s Largest Christmas Light Maze taking guests through a twinkling wonderland in search of Santa’s missing reindeer
  • Christmas Market – Taste seasonal delights and shop for holiday gifts from dozens of local vendors showcasing home decor, jewelry, gourmet foods, and more. Vendor applications are still being accepted at EnchantChristmas.com
  • VIP Event Experiences – Tropicana Field’s Private Suites and Club Spaces will be transformed into exclusive rooms for holiday parties and special events. Enjoy all that the Enchant experience has to offer plus full service catering, and more. Enchant Christmas is now accepting reservations for Holiday Parties. To inquire, visit EnchantChristmas.com
  • Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus – Santa will take photos in his workshop with the children and he’s bringing Mrs. Claus who will be leading story time.  
  • Food and Beverage – Enjoy holiday-themed food and drinks that are sure to please everyone throughout the Concourse with a special bar experience on the field in the maze.
  • Ice-Skating Trail – Enchant features a magical Ice-Skating Trail adorned with spectacular light displays. Rent a pair of skates at the event and take a glide with your loved ones.
  • Live Entertainment – Guests will get into the spirit with nightly caroling throughout the venue and local busking-style musicians

CONNECT WITH ENCHANT CHRISTMAS
EnchantChristmas.com
Facebook – /EnchantStPetersburg
Twitter – @EnchantStPete
Instagram – @EnchantStPetersburg
#EnchantChristmas

ABOUT ENCHANT CHRISTMAS
Enchant Christmas is produced by Enchant Christmas LLC, a subsidiary of Enchant Christmas Light Maze and Market Ltd., a Vancouver-based, professional Christmas light company serving Canada and the U.S. since 2010.

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Filed Under: Misc, Travel Tagged With: bay, enchanting, florida, holiday, season, tampa, ...

Concert Review: Goo Goo Dolls & Train – Tampa, FL

First of all, a little about me.  I love theater, animals and my friends and family.  I’m 12 years old and this is the first major concert I ever went to.  On top of that, it was three acts! So for a first concert, this one was AMAZING!!! Allen Stone opened with a short set and then Goo Goo Dolls came on.  I got to hear all my favorites from Sirius XM. “Black Balloons” had dozens of black balloons bouncing around the audience, which was a lot of fun. I got to hit a few.  “Slide” was really good and the first encore was “Iris” which was epic!

After a short intermission, Train hit the stage. The sound of a train filled the room and they started right into “Calling all Angels”.  I loved this opening and it was my favorite non-song part. “50 ways to Say Goodbye” kicked off next with clips from the music video backing them up. It was awesome. In the middle of the set, Bruises was performed with Allen Stone taking on the female part, which Patrick Monahan said “wasn’t awkward at all”!  THEN, the lead guitarist, who was a Tampa native, performed “Under Pressure” with Patrick and his bass player.  It was my Dad’s favorite moment of the night and I loved it too. “Play that song” was my absolute favorite and I sang it all the way home. 

I loved the lights, the constant video and effects above the band. This was a daddy daughter date with my Dad and he totally surprised me.  The only song I missed was “Mermaid” which it doesn’t seem like they play much anymore. Train ended the night with “Drops of Jupiter” which was a great song for a great night.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/train/2019/midflorida-credit-union-amphitheatre-tampa-fl-339ea80d.html

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/goo-goo-dolls/2019/midflorida-credit-union-amphitheatre-tampa-fl-239ea803.html

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Event Review: Monster Jam @ Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

I cannot even remember the last time I went to Monster Jam. I would think it has to be nearly 20 years by now at least. I have always been yearning to go back though and this year was the year! I have always been a huge Grave Digger fan and I remember cars like Big Foot that are no longer around. So I think it was about time for me to revisit this action packed event. This year Monster Jam headed back to the Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL on January 13th and it was one hell of a time! This definitely just became a yearly event for me again! Let’s just say that!

The event featured more than 12 trucks and drivers including: Grave Digger driven by Dennis Anderson; Son-uva Digger driven by Ryan Anderson; Team Hot Wheels driven by Scott Buetow; Monster Energy driven by Coty Saucier; Jester driven by Matt Pagliarulo; Xtermigator driven by JR McNeal; Rage driven by Cory Rummel; Barbarian driven by Devin Jones; OVER Bored, Bounty Hunter, Knucklehead, Madusa and Wrecking Crew.

Like I mentioned I have always loved Grave Digger (I mean seriously who doesn’t). He is just bad-ass. I mean the guy loses a damn wheel on his first go-around and still managed to come back and get second place at the end. During this event there were a few spotlight trucks who really just nailed every run! Monster Energy ended up winning the night, hands down! Their freestyle had me on my feet screaming! Wrecking Crew also tore up the stadium for sure! The audience was literally on their feet the entire event!

The part just wasn’t at the Stadium though! We arrived hours in advance and had an awesome time tailgating and enjoying the big open field. They also had the “Party in the Pits”, which was an additional $10.00 but gives a good opportunity for fans to get up close and personal to the Monster Jam trucks and drivers. They also had ramps setup with bikers doing tricks hourly. So very cool event for sure! Family fun! Plenty of families gathered at this event to show this wonderful event together and I will be one of those families for sure moving forward!

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Filed Under: Art/Theatre Tagged With: event, fl, jam, james, monster, raymond, ...

Win Passes to 40th Anniversary Screening of “Satan’s Children” in Tampa [ENDED]

Media Mikes would like to give our readers the chance to attend a special 40th Anniversary Screening of the locally made horror film “Satan’s Children” on November 15 at the beautiful and historic Tampa Theatre.

Made in the spring of 1974, and directed by the late Joe Wiezycki, a determined group of local TV crew people filmed “Satan’s Children,” a shocking and exploitive tale of brutal revenge, bizarre unholy rituals, hedonistic hippie culture, weird sex, and the seductive spell of Satanism and devil-cults. In other words: grindhouse heaven! A fantastic acting ensemble cast was assembled, with most coming from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Sadly, the film never received a proper release.

Now, 40 years later, we’re giving the devil his due! Two lucky readers (and a guest) will win passes to attend this fun filled event. Not only will be winners get to attend the special screening, they will be able to meet some of the cast and crew from the film that will also be in attendance.

All you have to do to be eligible is to let us know below what long-ago or obscure horror film you’d like to see on the big screen. Two random entrants will be chosen and notified by email. This contest ends on November 7, 2014. Good luck!

For more information, head to http://tampatheatre.org/movies/satans-children/

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Filed Under: Film Headlines, Giveaways Tagged With: 40th, anniversary, children, passes, satans, screening, ...

Concert Review: Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band “Songs from St. Somewhere” Tour, Tampa, FL

Jimmy Buffett & The Coral Reefer Band
MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
Tampa, FL
April 19, 2014

It was a rather chilly and on and off rainy night, April 19, 2014 in Tampa, FL but that didn’t mean anything for us hardcore Jimmy Buffett fans. I do not think I have ever been to a concert with as much energy and excitement that this show at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. The last time I saw Jimmy and his band perform was in Orlando, FL at the Amway Center and I have to admit thinking back on it now it just felt so claustrophobic being in that closed arena. Now the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre was a open arena that really gave Jimmy and the band a chance to open their wings and really soar higher than ever. The band was in fine form at this show. You can honestly just look at Jimmy’s face and know that he is honestly and genuinely having fun. Just plain fun. I may have said this before but the guy seems to really love what he is doing and I swear he only seems to be getting better and better each time I see him.

When you look at this stage, there are literally so many people up there that I didn’t know where to look first. In fact, I counted and including Jimmy his Coral Reefer Band adds up to twelve members. Now the reason why that is unique is that you could literally pick out the role of each person throughout the entire person. If you were listening out for Michael Utley on the keyboards you can clearly hear him jamming. If you were looking out for Mac McAnally (I mean you can’t miss the guy with that hair but…) you can easily pick out his voice on each song. To be that is so very important. You can tell that there was a lot of time put into making sure that each member of the band was equally balanced and sounded just right. Congrats to the sound engineer for this sound because it was an outstanding performance.

What I really loved about this show was that from the moment it started it was just hit song after hit song. We were on our feet literally the entire show. If we got tired after at any point, the excitement of the next song just completely took over and drew us in. Some highlights as usual were “Boat Drinks”, “Come Monday” and “Southern Cross”. Since this is the “Songs From St. Somewhere” tour, we got to hear the new hit song “Too Drunk to Karaoke”, which was just such a blast to hear live. The band’s cover of “All Night Long (All Night)” got such an outstanding response, I looked around at one point during the song and didn’t see a mouth not moving and anyone not dancing like crazy. They not only play the songs that they want to play, they play the songs that fans want to hear and they were right on queue!

The “Songs From St. Somewhere” tour took a break in December but picked up this month to close out the tour. This show actually was one of the last one of the tour before the band (taking only a month off) kicks right back into touring with the new summer tour, “This One’s For You”, which starts in May. So even though that this was the “end of the tour”, you could have easily told me that it was the kick-off because like I said the energy was insane and the band was in rare form. I don’t know how they tour for most of the year and never take a break…but I guess it just goes back to my original statement of how much fun these talented performers are having on the stage.  I hope that it is not too long before they decide to take over the state of Florida again because I already feel the itch to take a trip to Margaritaville again soon!

Set List:
1. Kinja
2. Landfall
3. Brown Eyed Girl
4. Boat Drinks
5. Weather With You
6. Pencil Thin Mustache
7. It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere
8. Son of a Son of a Sailor
9. Rhumba Man
10. Come Monday
11. Too Drunk to Karaoke
12. Cheeseburger in Paradise
13. Cultural Infidel
14. Piece of Work
15. Somethin’ ‘Bout a Boat
16. Southern Cross
17. Volcano
18. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
19. A Pirate Looks at Forty
20. Back Where I Come From
21. One Particular Harbour
22. All Night Long (All Night)
23. Fins
24. Margaritaville

Encores:
25. We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us About
26. Knee Deep
27. Defying Gravity

 

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews Tagged With: band, buffett, concert, coral, fl, jimmy, ...

See the Original “House on Haunted Hill” on the Big Screen in Tampa! [ENDED]

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND WINNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED VIA EMAIL. PLEASE CHECK BACK EACH WEEK FOR NEW GIVEAWAYS!

One of the best things about retro-cinemas is having the chance to see classic films on the big screen where they belong. This month Media Mikes has teamed up with the Tampa Pitcher Show to send one lucky reader and a guest to the November 23rd Horror Matinee presentation of William Castle’s 1958 classic “House on Haunted Hill,” starring Vincent Price, Richard Long and Elisha Cook, Jr.

The presentation will be hosted by nationally known horror host Wolfman Mac Kelly. Kelly is probably best known as the host of the long running syndicated television program “Chiller Drive-In.” The screening begins promptly at 1:00 p.m. For more information go to www.tampapitchershow.net

All you have to do is leave us a comment letting us know what classic horror film you’d like to see again on the big screen. One random comment will be chosen and the winner will be notified by email. This contest ends at noon on Thursday, November 21st. Good luck!

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Filed Under: Giveaways Tagged With: big, haunted, hill, house, original, screen, ...

Concert Review: Toby Keith’s Locked & Loaded Tour, Tampa FL

Date: 10.14.2011
Location: 1-800-ASK GARY Amphitheater – Tampa, FL
Acts: Toby Keith, Eric Church, J.T. Hodges

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

I have to start with the fact that this was my first official country music concert. I have seen Southern rock bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd dozens of times but never really experienced the official country concert. Well, let me tell you it was quite an amazing experience. It started with us heading backstage to interview the next big country star J.T. Hodges in his trailer. After that we got situated in our seats and got ready for J.T. Hodges to hit the stage. J.T. Hodges is known best for his hit single “Hunt You Down”, which is flooding the radio waves. His album is set to drop early 2012 and it is going to be amazing! J.T. had great stage presence and only had the chance to play five songs but sealed the deal on every one of them. I tell you now give him a few months and he will leading the his headlining his next tour.

Eric Church took the stage next and immediately he had the audience in the palm of him hand. People roared out of their chairs and leaped to their feet. The energy was very intense and everyone was singing…including myself. One thing that I noticed about Eric is that he seemed really excited and passionate about his music. I think that is why his music has the power that it does.  Eric got to perform 13 songs and I am sure I am not the only one wishing he came back one for more. His biggest songs were definitely “Jack Daniels” and “I’m Gettin’ Stoned”.  Stay tuned to Eric Church because his album is only getting more popular and popular.

Honestly after J.T. great performance and Eric’s energy, I was beat and ready to call it a night but then there was….Toby Keith. This guy comes out on stage with fireworks, all the bells and whistles and blows up the audience. The crows was cheering beyond belief and got me all recharged. It was so energetic at the 1-800-ASK GARY Amphitheater as he belted out “American Ride”. From there on it was just one hit after another. I cannot wait for his new album Clancy’s Tavern which comes out Oct.25th and he made sure to play a punch of new songs from the album, which made me even more excited. After eight songs, he had his backup singer belt out “Lady Marmalade”, which gave everyone a chance to sit down and get drinks (definitely a chance for him to also chill   his voice). Of course Toby sang one of my favorite song “I Love This Bar”, which really got the crowd singing along. Throughout the rest of the concert, Toby was like the energizer bunny he just kept belting them out one after another totaling over 20 songs. I will be first in line next time he is our the Florida area for sure.

Eric Church set list
1. Creepin’
2. Hell on the Heart
3. Guys Like Me
4. Drink In My Hand
5. Jack Daniels
6. I’m Gettin’ Stoned
7. Springsteen
8. How Bout You
9. Love Your Love the Most
10. Lotta Boot Left to Fill
11. A Country Boy Can Survive
12. Homeboy
13. Smoke a Little Smoke

Toby Keith set list
1. American Ride
2. God Love Her
3. Made In America
4. I Need to Hear a Country Song
5. Clancy’s Tavern
6. Red Solo Cup
7. Get Drunk and Be Somebody
8. Whiskey Girl
9. Lady Marmalade
10. I Wanna Talk About Me
11. Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine on You
12. Who’s Your Daddy?
13. Ballad of Balad
14. As Good As I Once Was
15. I Love This Bar
16. Should’ve Been a Cowboy
17. Weed With Willie
18. Get Out of My Car
19. Beer For My Horses
20. How Do You Like Me Now!?
21. A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action
Encore:
22. American Soldier
23. Courtesy Of The Red, White, and Blue

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Filed Under: Concert Reviews, Featured Tagged With: concert, fl, keiths, loaded, locked, review, ...
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