Two critically acclaimed one-woman fringe shows are back on stage in Tampa Bay.

Gabrielle Leonore’s “My Life as an ‘Inspirational P*rn Star” and Emily Weitzman’s “Furniture Boys” both showed at Tampa and Edinburgh fringe festivals over the summer.

Leonore’s show is part standup, burlesque and character study with a PowerPoint presentation and a soundtrack punctuated by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal”.

Weitzman’s “Furniture Boys” is an absurdist comedy about boyfriends who become, well, furniture. The show combines clowning and spoken word for a reflection on love and impermanence. The Guardian called it “shimmeringly silly, ingenuous, and ridiculous and revelatory.”

Tickets are $27 for “Straight from the Fringes,” showing Thursday, Jan. 8-Sunday, Jan. 11 in Clearwater.

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Creative Pinellas’ eighth Arts Annual exhibition will be its last.

The exhibition themed “From Now to Next” acts as its goodbye celebration as the publicly defunded arts program prepares to close its office and gallery space in Largo by Feb. 1.

A total of 122 works from 73 artists span the exhibition, including painting, sculpture, spoken word, ceramics, mixed media, assemblage, film, and a special site-specific installation from the artist BASK.

Some of the exhibit’s featured artists, like Miss Crit, aka Laura Spencer, credit Creative Pinellas with their success after being nurtured by the program.

“Creative Pinellas has always been there for me and our artistic community,” Spencer said in a release. “It’s an absolute honor and privilege to participate in the final exhibit at the gallery.”

Others, like Cristi López, will show their work for the first time. In the gallery’s closing announcement, she said being showcased in the last Arts Annual “affirms that I made a great decision in moving here.”

There is no cover for Arts Annual: From Now to Next, running through Jan. 4 in Largo.

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Drinking your weed has become tres chic these days, and Herban Flow wants to show you a lot of ways to do so.

More than 60 brands will showcase their THC-infused drinks, plus adaptogens, nootropics and alcohol-free libations at St. Pete’s Coliseum this weekend.

The event includes unlimited tastings in a product sampling hall, a wellness village with local businesses, live music and food. Tickets run $40-$60, and DDs get in free.

High and Dry Festival happens Saturday, Jan. 3 in St. Petersburg.

High & Dry Festival 2026 – Florida’s Premier Functional Beverage Experience

Time Sat., Jan. 3, 1-5 p.m.

Location The Coliseum, 535 4th Ave. N, St. Petersburg

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The Tampa Museum of Art closed 2025 with a celebration of multi-talented Japanese-American artist Jun Kaneko’s work, opening his first major presentation in Florida. But there’s still plenty of time to see the exhibit.

“Silence Before Sound” features nearly 50 pieces of Kaneko’s large-scale ceramic sculptures, paintings and works on paper, tracing back six decades of his work.

His creative process is shaped by moments of pause or “Ma,” a concept rooted in Japanese aesthetics that Keneko has said is essential to the balance of an artwork. 

The museum’s “Remix” monthly workshop series bases its next project on his work. On Jan. 29, guests can learn glaze painting on ceramic tile to create Kaneko-inspired art.

Tickets start at $5 for “Silence before Sound,” running through Aug. 23 in Tampa. The “Remix” workshop is $55.

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It’s curtains for Crowbar. After owner Tom DeGeorge announced the venue’s lease was ending in 2026, the last year became a series of goodbye shows.

Though there will still be a few gigs in the new year, the last 2025 show featured the unveiling of an honorary “Legacy” beer from Coppertail Brewing Company along with music from Emo Night DJs, Four Star Riot and the Soft Rock Renegades.

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In 2025, the most read stories on Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s website illustrate a readership extremely interested in police accountability, Trump’s homegrown attorney general, immigration, elections, and the environment (you guys really care about what happens as FDOT makes plans to touch up the Courtney Campbell Causeway!).

But your eyes went to more than just hard news, with stories about the SNAP shutdown, Hulk Hogan’s death, Tampa rapper Doechii, and the defunding of Creative Pinellas being widely read, too. Below is a quick and dirty recap of some of the biggest stories from the last 12 months. Buckle up for 2026.

The race for Tampa’s District 5

City Councilmember Gwendolyn Henderson’s sudden death last June shocked and saddened much of Tampa. The District 5 representative frequently stood for residents of East Tampa who have long lamented the way their neighborhoods have been treated, especially during the city’s recent years of rapid growth.

The special election for her replacement saw 13 candidates plus a write-in, including Henderson’s daughter (Ariel Amirah Danley), Crowbar owner Tom DeGeorge, former Tampa Pride head Carrie West and Pastor Elvis Pigott—who later flashed a gun at a City Council forum. The final race came down to activist Naya Young, 33, and longtime Tampa politico Thomas Scott, 72. Despite Scott vastly out-raising her, Young won by a landslide with 61% of the vote. Her win mirrored the later success of Zohran Mamdani, whose win for New York City mayor made ripples in Florida with the message that young, progressive grassroots leaders stand a chance against establishment money.

Bradley’s crash

A high speed chase that started on Interstate-275 ended with four dead and 11 injured at a gay bar in Ybor City in November. While chasing a suspect allegedly suspected of street racing that night, Florida Highway Patrol made an unsuccessful PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver—in which the pursuing vehicle attempts to cause the pursued vehicle to spin out of control—about 2,000 feet from Bradley’s on 7th. The deceased victims were later identified as 25-year-old Christina Richards, 41-year-old Lisa Johnson, 53-year-old Sherman Jones and 53-year-old Marlon Collins. The fallout of the FHP’s failed PIT maneuver and the trial of the driver—22-year-old Silas Sampson—are likely to develop well into 2026.

Mural combat

After Gov. Ron DeSantis lost many battles in 2024—courts blunted his “Don’t Say Gay” and “Stop WOKE” laws—he took the war to the roads. Following Trump’s takedown of D.C.’s “Black Lives Matter” street mural, the Florida Department of Transportation decided that all street murals must go. That meant no more rainbow crosswalks and pavement declarations that “Black History Matters.” So, too, went non-political murals, like USF St. Pete’s Bulls-themed crosswalk. A bright spot for some of the “woke” included the City of Tampa erasing the city’s infamous “Bock the Blub” pro-police mural.

Pastors Andy Oliver and Benedict Atherton-Zeman were arrested for blocking state workers from removing St. Pete’s “Black History Matters” mural outside the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum. The mural was later repainted overnight by an unknown artist, then re-erased by the state. Private pavement murals have since popped up around Tampa Bay. As part of her “Love Thy Neighbor” project, Michelle Sasha rallied local painters to provide free Pride and Black Lives Matter murals to local property owners. “We’re going to paint back thousands,” Sasha told CL in September. “Hopefully they’ll regret their decision, because now there’s going to be way more rainbows than they were hoping for.”

Cringe-a-mania

Tampa Bay lost one of its biggest icons when Hulk Hogan died in July. The wrestling legend, born Terry Bollea, died of a heart attack at 71-years-old in his Clearwater home. Though he was booed at his final WWE appearance in January and his newly-launched wrestling league struggled to sell tickets, he maintained a large fanbase—many of which also wanted to “Make America Great Again.” In the month leading up to his death, Hogan and his wife, Sky, battled rumors that he was dying after complications from a neck surgery. It was one of more than two dozen surgeries Hogan underwent to alleviate back and neck pain after his WWE career. Over the fall, Hogan’s family requested an investigation into whether his care teams at Tampa General and Morton Plant Hospitals committed malpractice in treatment leading up to his death. No suit has been filed yet.

The real alphabet mafia

Trump and Elon Musk’s brief fling left thousands of federal workers without jobs, and may have permanently changed the way Florida state and local governments interact. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led to DeSantis trying to create a copycat Commissioner of Government Efficiency (COGE).

That wasn’t necessary, as his newly appointed state chief financial officer, Hernando County Republican Blaise Ingoglia, quickly began audits of the state’s largest municipalities—including Tampa, Hillsborough, St. Petersburg and Pinellas—for the rebranded Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO). FAFO reviewed spending by 11 local governments, claiming to have found more than $1.86 billion in alleged wasteful and excessive spending. Local governments have pushed back against what Ingoglia claims is wasteful, like St. Pete and Pinellas’ spending toward the St. Pete Pride parade. The fight is somehow really about property taxes, which DeSantis has said he wants a ballot initiative to substantially reduce for homestead properties. In the legislative 2026 session, Ingoglia is pushing a proposed law that would give him authority to recommend removal of any elected official for “financial abuse, malfeasance or misfeasance.”

Jolly times

David Jolly wants to be the next Dunedin native in the governor’s mansion. After representing Pinellas County as a Republican in the House of Representatives from 2014-2017, he’s now running for governor as a Democrat. Charlie Crist, who held the same congressional seat and was also a Republican when he was governor from 2007-2011, failed to beat DeSantis in the last election. Jolly faces an even redder Florida and a different GOP opponent. Eyes are on Trump-endorsed Byron Donalds and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner to see who will land on the November ballot. Lt. Governor and former Tampa Senator Jay Collins is rumored to also be vying for the seat.

There were signs

Anti-Trump “No Kings” protests brought tens of thousands of people to the streets this year, and of course, the governor took the chance to go on a right wing podcast to talk about hitting protestors with cars (Tampa police for its part, asked anyone demonstrating “to do so in a safe and responsible manner”). The resistance is alive in Florida. WMNF raised more than $280,000 during an emergency fundraiser last summer after DeSantis and Trump cuts left the community radio station with a $230,000 funding gap). One of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s photographers, Dave Decker even got swept up in it when he was arrested last month while covering an ICE protest in Miami (he spent more than a day in jail, and charges were just dropped last week).

Charlie Kirk

The brutal September murder of the right wing agitator rippled all the way to Florida where vigils brought out mourners and Jesus Christ cosplayers, while teachers and government employees saw themselves among those targeted for online comments about the killing. Florida House Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Seminole) posted to social media a letter he sent to Pinellas Superintendent Kevin Hendrick, calling on him to fire teachers who have conducted “abhorrent” behavior on their social media accounts since Kirk’s death. He cited one instructor who he said posted “good riddance” after Kirk was shot.

Clouded rainbows

The future of Tampa Pride is up in the air after a September announcement that the celebration would shutdown for a year. The board blamed anti-DEI politics and added that it wouldn’t renew the contract of its president and co-founder Carrie West. But locals from every part of the LGBTQ+ community have been coming together to see what a Pride celebration in Tampa would look like. “I don’t foresee a parade, but there are other events we can do,” former Tampa Pride board member Mark Eary told CL. “We just need to get everybody on board.”

Chronister chronicles

Hillsborough’s Sheriff Chad Chronister got the big headlines this year, after multiple high-ranking deputies resigned or got fired in the wake of an academic cheating scandal. One of his former detectives even called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to start an independent investigation. In a six-page letter, James Stahlschmidt detailed allegations of academic dishonesty, abuse of taxpayer and charity funds, retaliation, domestic violence and other forms of misconduct perpetrated by command staff at HCSO, which he claims can be “supported by internal investigations, prior disciplinary actions, civil lawsuits, public records, or statements from personnel involved.”

Chronister pushed back on the letter and Stahlschmidt’s calls for the investigation in a statement to CL, adding that he has full trust in HCSO’s Professional Standards Bureau to conduct an inquiry. The gov’ didn’t say a peep about it, and Chronister opted for an internal investigation, which ended with the sheriff saying the cheaters made choices that were “wrong” but “not malicious.” OK.

The SNAP gap

Three million Floridians rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal program best known as SNAP. More than a million of those people are children. When the government shutdown hit the month-long mark last October, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to calls to safeguard the program for his constituents by passing the buck. Local restaurants, however, ditched politics and banded together to make sure kids could eat when benefits ended by offering free meals.

Sorry, Shilo

Shilo Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion, spent time in Bucs camp as an undrafted free agent and was ultimately cut—but not before telling fans that he loves the food at Water Street hotspot Boulon Brasserie. “If I got free food from here, that would be the best NIL deal in the world,” he said of an eclectic, hefty, order that included the restaurant’s Best of the Bay winning blue crab beignets.

Creative Pinellas

It’s an awkward moment for arts and culture in Pinellas County, punctuated with the September defunding of the county’s designated arts agency, Creative Pinellas, which saw county commissioners vote 5-2 to revoke funds despite 244 emails and more than 50 well-researched in-person pleas weren’t enough to save the nonprofit. The remaining staff will soldier on, but how the arts get funded in 2026 will be telling.

Sun rising

Last June, in front of more than 5,000 fans packed into a sold-out Riverfront Stadium at Blake High School, Tampa Bay Sun FC dominated play in the first-ever USL Super League championship match, earning a 1-0 overtime win over Ft. Lauderdale United FC. It was a shining moment, and while things aren’t as sunny at the club right now (our side is dead last, with just one win), the future of pro women’s soccer in the Bay area is still bright.

Swamp things

All eyes are on Crowbar this year (the lease is up this summer, signaling the end of a 20-year run for the famed Tampa music venue), but a special talent from 2910 E Genesee St. dominated local music headlines. Tampa rapper and Blake alum Doechii took home a 2025 Grammy award for Best Rap Album and staged one hell of a homecoming show for 6,500 fans who sold-out Yuengling Center just seven miles away from the address mentioned in “Boiled Peanuts” from the album Alligator Bites Never Heal.

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Dear Oracle,

My parents LOVE Christmas, and they usually go all out. They host our large family and friends, and I know it can get very stressful. However, my dad had a health scare recently and is under strict orders to avoid stress when possible. How do I convince my parents to tone it down this year, or at least accept help? (There are two grandchildren, but the rest of us are adults.)—All Is Calm, please. 

Cards: Knight of Swords (reversed), Ace of Pentacles, The High Priestess (reversed), Last Quarter.

Dear AIC, 

As someone who feels most like herself when throwing a dinner party, I know the love of hosting well. I also know the fidgety annoyance of being told to “rest” when there are so many other things you want to do. 

So I sympathize deeply with your parents. But, doctor’s orders are doctor’s order. I think you have to be the ball-busting voice of reason as the Knight of Swords. The Swords are the intellectual suite but they can also be cutting when delivering they’re thoughts. While I would never advocate for cruelty, the Knight of Swords would suggest a sharper rebuke. 

Less “Dad, we’re just worried about you and want you to be ok.” 

 More “Do you want to give yourself a heart attack?” 

No one likes a blunt reminder of their own mortality, but coming from his children, it might actually guilt him into taking care of himself. 

It is important, though, to understand why your parents do this holiday song-and-dance every year. The Ace of Pentacles is both the card of work as well as the card of finding meaning in work. Believe me, they understand the amount of work that goes into hosting—but they’re happy to do it because they find it meaningful. It’s truly a labor of love. Giving up that labor might feel like giving up that love, which is something we cannot let happen!

With the High Priestess, it’s important to look at what these celebrations mean to your parents under the surface. Is it having everyone they love under one roof? Is it celebrating with them? Is it providing them with food, drink, and merry-making? What, for lack of a better expression, is the Christmas spirit to them? And how can you and your siblings replicate that as best as you can? 

The Last Quarter card is a card of connection and of ideas beginning to come to fruition. While I don’t think your parents are ready to pass on the Christmas torch, I do think it’s a good year for a trial run for the younger generation to take on the majority of the labor. 

It will look different, and your parents might have trouble letting go of control, but if you focus on the core of it—that High Priestess Spirit of Christmas—then I think you can still make a celebration that feels like Christmas, without the added stress. 

Best of luck, my dear, and good health to your family. 

Dear Oracle,

I’m not really talking to my family right now, but I have to spend the holidays with them. How do I do it?—Rather Be Alone

Cards: The Hermit, Ace of Cups (reversed), The Devil, Six of Wands (reversed) 

Dear Alone, 

When I drew your cards, I did so in a diamond shape, which meant that The Hermit was on top of The Devil. In my deck (Uusi’s Pagan Otherworld’s) both cards have similar coloring and design and when you put them next to each other, they’re facing each other as if ready to have a conversation. 

I don’t think there’s a better example of your “higher” self and your “lower” self than the Hermit on top of The Devil. The Hermit is connected to the universe, filled with awe at the mystery of life, and is humbly himself. The Devil, on the other hand, is filled with intense emotion—wrath, passion, petty grievances. While The Hermit opens himself up to the universe, The Devil tries to crush the universe underneath his hoof. The Devil is a card of all-consuming thought, while The Hermit is open to messages from beyond. 

So how do you survive the holidays? By being the best Hermit you can be and keeping that Devil way down in the hole. This will require some release of ego and a mindset of “not taking things personally,” which, depending on why you’re not talking to your family, is probably easier said than done. 

You might have to be like a non-tarot hermit—or a Sufi saint—and lean into the idea of a universal love and celebration. You might not like your family (or love them), but Ace of Cups is a card of Agape. It’s a universal love for your fellow human. If you can see your family not as people who may have hurt you or who you disagree with, but as fellow inhabitants on this rock, rolling along in the mystery, can you find some love for them? Even if it’s just theoretical? With the Six of Wands, it’s also a time of celebration and releasing the past warring environment.

In Witch World, the Winter Solstice is a holiday of defiant hope. It is a celebration that you have survived the dark, that no matter how long the night, the light will come again. Is there any way you can ride on that defiant energy and celebrate the fact that you survived this year? Can you, as your higher self, celebrate the idea of hope? That the light will come again? 

Holidays are symbolic and I think a shift in symbolism might help you reframe the gathering and keep you in a Hermit state of mind. 

I know it’s not ideal but remember: everything in life is temporary, including Christmas dinner. 

Best of luck, my dear. 

Readers and community members are always welcome to send letters to the editors. Please let us know if we may consider your submission for publication.

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Below are more of Dave’s best shots of the year from protests he covered across the country.

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Sligh Middle Magnet School, AKA Thaddeus M. Bullard Academy, hosted its namesake’s “Joy of Giving” celebration last Saturday.

WWE superstar Titus O’Neil and his sons, TJ and Titus Bullard, were assisted by 250 volunteers from his Bullard Family Foundation and the City of Tampa to distribute more than 5,000 gifts to local families.

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ZooTampa has two more fuzzy residents.

Sadie and Seth, two red foxes who were among 250 animals rescued from a fur farm in Ohio, have settled into their new digs after arriving in Tampa last month. The pair were quarantined for about 30 days as part of health evaluations after their arrival, zoo officials said in a Monday press release.

They can be seen in the zoo’s Florida Wilds habitat, near the Roaring Springs ride. Seth has a classic reddish coat, while Sadie’s coat is a black-ish color.

“They have been observed actively exploring their surroundings and engaging playfully with each other,” the release notes.

Seth and Sadie were rescued nearly a year ago from the Grand River Fur Exchange, where foxes, coyotes, wolf-dog hybrids and skunks were raised and killed for fur, urine and as exotic pets, according to the Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society said it worked with Ohio authorities in the rescue operation after the facility’s owner passed away, “escalating an already-dire animal welfare crisis on the property.”

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