The Central Avenue corridor spends the second week of October getting ready for Halloween in its own creative way. The Imagine Museum hosts a wizard night and a Halloween makers market, the Morean Glass Studio fills its lawn with handmade glass pumpkins, and Second Saturday ArtWalk opens the studios in seven arts districts at once. Between October 8 and October 16, here are four picks, most of them free and all of them easy to reach on foot, by trolley, or on the SunRunner.
Harry Potter Book Day: Spells and Potions at the Imagine Museum
Why It Stands Out
Thursday, October 8, from five until eight in the evening, the Imagine Museum at 1901 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District hosts a Harry Potter night among its glass art galleries. There is house sorting, The Wizard's Duel trivia, a potions class with a local apothecary, divination with Professor Adrian, and animal ambassadors from Owl's Nest Sanctuary, all set to film soundtrack music.
Best For
Families with kids of any age, and grown fans who never got their letter. It is billed as family friendly for all ages.
Timing and Planning
Admission is five dollars, and free for anyone who arrives in costume or wizarding robes. Tickets are on Eventbrite. Grand Central has free and metered street parking on the side streets, and the SunRunner stops on Central a short walk away.
Monsters and Makers Market at the Imagine Museum
Why It Stands Out
Friday, October 9, from five until nine, the Imagine Museum turns its galleries into a Halloween themed indoor market. Local artists and makers sell art, handmade goods, seasonal decor, jewelry, and apparel, with costumes encouraged and photo displays set up through the building. Museum admission is included.
Best For
Friend groups and anyone who wants to shop local for the season. It is indoors and air conditioned, which still matters in October.
Timing and Planning
Admission is listed at up to five dollars. The Grand Central District calendar also shows a night art market at the museum on October 16, so call 727-300-1700 if you want to know whether there is a second date. The same evening, the museum hosts a pumpkin stained glass workshop from five to seven for sixty dollars, capped at twenty people.
The Great Glass and Clay Pumpkin Patch
Why It Stands Out
Saturday, October 10, from noon until four, the Morean Glass Studio at 714 First Avenue North, a block off Central, hosts its Great Glass and Clay Pumpkin Patch. More than one hundred handmade glass and clay pumpkins, made by local artists specifically for this event, are laid out for sale. Admission is free and no registration is needed.
Best For
Anyone who wants a piece of local art on the porch this fall, and newcomers who have not yet discovered how deep St. Pete's glass scene runs.
Insider Tip
Arrive close to noon for the best selection. It pairs naturally with ArtWalk the same evening, so you can make a full Saturday of it: pumpkins in the afternoon, an early dinner on Central, then the galleries after dark.
Second Saturday ArtWalk
Why It Stands Out
Saturday, October 10, from five until nine, the St. Pete Arts Alliance's Second Saturday ArtWalk opens galleries and studios across seven districts, and the corridor holds most of them. In the Warehouse Arts District, the stops include the Morean Center for Clay at 420 22nd Street South, the ArtsXchange at 515 22nd Street South, Duncan McClellan Gallery, and Zen Glass. In Grand Central, look for Iris Photo Gallery, Sugar Cream Clay, The Werk Gallery, and Creative Clay. Many studios are open to the public only on ArtWalk night. Admission is free.
Best For
Couples, friend groups, and anyone considering a home on the corridor. Walking the studios is the fastest way to understand the neighborhoods that make up this part of the city.
Neighborhood Angle
The Warehouse Arts District trolley runs from six to ten, looping about every thirty to thirty five minutes, and a Central Avenue trolley links Grand Central with the downtown galleries. Park at the ArtsXchange or Deuces Corner Park for the trolley, or use street parking. The Arts Alliance posts the October venue guide on its website the week before. Across the street from the Morean Glass Studio, the Morean Arts Center at 719 Central opens two new Halloween season exhibitions that night with a free reception from five to eight.
Event Q&A
Which event is best for families?
Harry Potter Book Day on October 8, which is free for kids in costume, and the glass pumpkin patch on October 10. Both are easy, short visits for younger children.
Which event feels most on-brand for a date night?
ArtWalk on October 10, with dinner on Central in between galleries. For a theater night, The Wash at The Studio@620, 620 First Avenue South, plays its final weekend through Sunday, October 11, with the closing performance at five and tickets from twenty five to forty dollars. The Off-Central Players open Constellations on Thursday, October 15 in their 43 seat theater at 2260 First Avenue South, running through October 25.
Which event is worth planning ahead for?
The Wash, since the room is small and this is its last weekend, and the pumpkin stained glass workshop at the Imagine Museum, which is capped at twenty people. Constellations has general admission seating, so arrive when doors open thirty minutes before curtain.
Which event gives the best sense of local community?
The Kenwood Sunday Market on October 11, from ten to two at 2501 Fifth Avenue North, where most of the crowd walks over from the bungalows around it. On Thursday, October 15 from 7:30 to 8:30, the EDGE District hosts a Halloween clothing and costume swap at Sans Market, 1037 Central Avenue, for seven dollars, with leftover items donated to a local thrift store.
Is there live music on the corridor this week?
Cage Brewing at 2001 First Avenue South has free shows all week, including Antelope on Saturday, October 10 at eight, Jerryland on Sunday, October 11 at three, and The Family Funk on Friday, October 16 at eight. 3 Daughters Brewing at 222 22nd Street South has the Julie Black Band on October 16 from seven to ten, a bonsai night on October 14, and a chunky knit pumpkin workshop on October 8.
What is coming after the window?
Halloween on Central, a free street celebration covering twenty two blocks from Martin Luther King Jr. Street to 31st Street, on Sunday, October 25 from noon to five.
