New bar and club Jay Que’s opens on 22nd Street South, replacing Catalyst in south St. Pete

New bar and club Jay Que’s opens on 22nd Street South, replacing Catalyst in south St. Pete

A new bar and club has opened on 22nd Street South, taking over the former Catalyst on the Deuces space at 903 22nd Street South.

Jay Que’s quietly opened in late March next to Sid’s Caribbean Grill and near Heavy’s Restaurant.

The Catalyst on the Deuces closed in February after opening in 2023 in the former Chief’s Creole Cafe space.

Longtime Chief’s owners Elihu and Carolyn Brayboy still own the building.

22nd Street South, known locally as “the Deuces”, has been one of St. Petersburg’s most significant cultural corridors.

During segregation, it served as a thriving Black business district, home to restaurants, clubs, hotels, and entertainment venues that anchored the city’s African American community.

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Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series bringing 88-foot dives to the St. Pete Pier this June

Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series bringing 88-foot dives to the St. Pete Pier this June

Red Bull’s Cliff Diving World Series is coming to Florida for the first time ever, and St. Petersburg will be its debut host. 

The global high diving series will take place June 4th through June 6th at the St. Pete Pier, where professional divers from around the world will compete for prize money and the coveted King Kahekili trophy.

Competition unfolds over three days, beginning with practice dives and preliminary rounds on Thursday, June 4th and Friday, June 5th. Those sessions will not be open to the public.

The main event, featuring additional practice dives, semifinals, and finals, will take place on Saturday, June 6th from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is expected to draw roughly 20,000 spectators throughout the day.

The custom dive tower will be installed in the parking lot of the St. Petersburg Museum of History, rising 21 meters (68.8 feet) for female competitors and 27 meters (88.5 feet) for male divers.

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One of St. Pete’s oldest restaurants Harvey’s 4th Street Grill celebrates 42 years this week

One of St. Pete’s oldest restaurants Harvey’s 4th Street Grill celebrates 42 years this week

Few bars and restaurants in St. Pete have a legacy quite like Harvey’s 4th Street Grill. The neighborhood gem has operated at 3121 4th Street North since 1984 and has remained under the same family ownership since day one.

Harvey’s will celebrate its 42nd anniversary this Wednesday, April 1st with a full moon party featuring live music from local musicians Lee Farber, Bernie Williams, Sarasota Slim, and Amy Lynn Dixon.

Shortly after opening in April 1984, owner Dan Harvey Jr. hosted the first full moon party, a monthly event with live music and fresh Maine lobsters.

The gatherings quickly became a tradition and remain a defining part of the restaurant’s history. This week’s celebration will echo the hundreds of full moon parties held over the years.

“Nothing has changed here in the past 40 years…St. Pete was dying for a place like this when we opened,” Harvey Jr. said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “When we talk about places like The Vinoy, The Don CeSar, and Sunset Country Club, I think we’re one little part of that historic fabric of St. Pete.”

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Bob’s Side Piece now open in former Dead Bob’s space in west St. Pete

Bob’s Side Piece now open in former Dead Bob’s space in west St. Pete

A new restaurant from the owner of Dead Bob’s and DeLosa’s Pizza has quietly debuted in west St. Pete, offering Italian sandwiches, pizza, and more.

Bob’s Side Piece is now open at 6716 Central Avenue, taking over the former home of Dead Bob’s, which recently relocated down the road to 6475 Central Avenue.

The concept is a collaboration between Dead Bob’s owner Ben Scherlis and Jim Breazeale, whose family has operated DeLosa’s Pizza in John’s Pass Village for more than four decades.

The idea for Bob’s Side Piece comes out of a longtime friendship between the two restaurateurs and a desire to keep the original Dead Bob’s space active.

As Scherlis previously put it, the concept came together organically, combining Breazeale’s New York-style pizza roots with the kind of comfort food that made Dead Bob’s a neighborhood staple.

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Chef from Michelin-starred Tampa restaurant to open Mei in downtown St. Pete

Chef from Michelin-starred Tampa restaurant to open Mei in downtown St. Pete

A new restaurant opening in downtown St. Pete in May could be a serious contender for the city’s first Michelin star.

Blending French technique, Nordic influence, and Japanese ingredients, Mei will take over the 2,700-square-foot space at 320 3rd Street South, formerly home to Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi, which closed earlier this year.

Bento was founded by brothers Jimmy and Johnny Tung, who are also backing Mei.

Executive Chef Alex Chamberlain will lead the kitchen, transitioning from his role as Chef de Cuisine at MICHELIN-starred Kōsen in Tampa.

The restaurant is a deeply personal project for Chamberlain, named after his sister.

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The 51st Mainsail Art Festival returns to Vinoy Park this weekend

The 51st Mainsail Art Festival returns to Vinoy Park this weekend

One of the city’s largest and longest-running cultural events returns this weekend along the downtown St. Pete waterfront, bringing hundreds of artists and tens of thousands of visitors to Vinoy Park.

The 51st annual Mainsail Art Festival takes place March 28th and 29th at 701 Bayshore Drive Northeast, with hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. 

Admission is free.

More than 250 juried artists from across the country will showcase and sell their work, spanning 13 mediums including ceramics, glass, jewelry, photography, sculpture, watercolor, wood, and mixed media. 

Roughly half of this year’s exhibitors are new to the festival.

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Downtown St. Pete apartment complex Beacon 430 sells for $131 million

Downtown St. Pete apartment complex Beacon 430 sells for $131 million

A downtown St. Pete apartment complex has traded hands in a nine-figure deal.

Beacon 430, a four-story, 327-unit luxury apartment community at 430 3rd Avenue South, sold for $131 million, or just over $400,000 per unit, according to a deed recorded Wednesday with the Pinellas County Clerk’s office.

The buyer, Ram Realty Advisors, also secured an $88 million mortgage through Wells Fargo.

The sale places Beacon 430 among the priciest multifamily trades in downtown St. Pete on a per-unit basis. Only Camden Central, formerly Icon Central, has sold for more per unit, trading for $406,667 per unit in 2021.

More recently, Windsor Central Arts, formerly The Hermitage, sold for $104.46 million, or $300,172 per unit, in 2025, while 930 Central Flats sold for $81 million, or $371,560 per unit, in 2024.

According to CoStar data, Beacon 430’s average unit spans 883 square feet, with average rents of $2,237 per month and current occupancy at 93.6%.

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St. Petersburg Renaissance Faire returns next month with jousting, mead, and medieval fun

St. Petersburg Renaissance Faire returns next month with jousting, mead, and medieval fun

Dust off your corsets, cloaks, and questionable British accents. The St. Petersburg Renaissance Faire is back.

The festivities return to England Brothers Park in Pinellas Park, running every weekend from April 4th through April 26th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Opening ceremonies begin just before the gates open, setting the stage for a full day inside the immersive “Shire of Heyford,” a 10-acre village inspired by Elizabethan England.

The event brings together more than 100 costumed performances across nine stages, along with over 50 artisans and three pubs.

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TapHouse 61 closes after nearly nine years in the Grand Central District

TapHouse 61 closes after nearly nine years in the Grand Central District

A popular bar on Central Avenue served its last customers last week.

TapHouse 61 at 2061 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District has closed after nearly nine years in business.

The neighborhood bar offered more than a dozen craft beers on tap along with cocktails, wine, and bottled beer, attracting a loyal following of regulars, service industry workers, and neighborhood residents.

TapHouse 61 opened in 2017 after its owners rebranded the space’s previous concept, Sly Bar.

The earlier bar, which debuted in 2014, had developed a reputation as a casual dive known for its sandwich menu and live music.

When Sly Bar pivoted to TapHouse 61, owner Joe Robertson expanded the bar’s craft beer focus by increasing the number of taps, introducing a broader selection of bottles and cans, and hosting beer-centric events.

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The Green Thumb Festival, St. Pete’s annual Arbor Day celebration, returns next month

The Green Thumb Festival, St. Pete’s annual Arbor Day celebration, returns next month

St. Petersburg’s annual celebration of nature, gardening, and environmental education will return next month for its 40th installment.

The Green Thumb Festival will take place at Walter Fuller Park, 7891 26th Avenue North, on Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.

The weekend-long event is free and open to the public.

Hosted by the City of St. Petersburg’s Parks and Recreation Department, the two-day festival is the city’s official Arbor Day celebration and one of the largest gardening events in the Tampa Bay area.

More than 120 garden and plant vendors will participate in the event, offering everything from native plants and tropical flowers to trees, herbs, and landscaping supplies.

The festival also features environmental exhibits, educational workshops, and hands-on activities focused on gardening and sustainability.

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