Here comes Hurricane Helene — and a flurry of cancellations and closures around Tampa Bay. We’ll be updating this list as we learn more.
Cultural institutions
The Tampa Museum of Art is closed Thursday. This includes studio art classes at the Tampa Museum of Art’s Vinik Family Education Center and offsite partnership locations. tampamuseum.org.
The Dali Museum and the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg will be closed Thursday. Visit thedali.org and thejamesmuseum.org.
The Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum of Florida in St. Petersburg will be closed Thursday. woodsonmuseum.org.
Tampa Bay History Center in Tampa will also be closed Thursday. tampabayhistorycenter.org.
ZooTampa at Lowry Park will be closed to guests on Thursday, though a care team will stay with the animals to ride out the storm. According to a news release from the zoo, employees will move larger animals into storm-proof night houses, while smaller mammals and birds will be moved into ancillary buildings. The zoo plans to reopen on Friday for the Creatures of the Night member preview event following a park safety assessment. zootampa.org.
Busch Gardens has announced it will be closed on Thursday and encouraged guests to “follow our social media channels for updates on park reopening.” buschgardens.com/tampa.
Adventure Island, the water park next to Busch Gardens, will be closed on Thursday. Normal operations will resume on Friday. “All date-intended tickets for closure days have been extended through September 30, 2024 and requires no action to be taken,” Busch Gardens posted on its website. adventureisland.com.
Universal Orlando will shut down its water park Volcano Bay on Thursday. “The rest of our resort including our hotels remain operational as we continue to monitor conditions. We anticipate reopening Volcano Bay at its normal hours on Friday, September 27,” the resort posted on its website.
Halloween Horror Nights, the separate-ticket event at Universal Studios, is canceled Thursday night, but Universal said it anticipates “a full opening of our resort” on Friday across all its properties.
Clearwater Marine Aquarium will be closed Thursday. “CMA teams are diligently preparing the building to protect resident animals from the storm, as well as to protect the facility from tidal flooding, storm surge and winds. A hurricane ride-out team is in place.”
The Florida Aquarium will be closed on Thursday. Guests who purchased tickets for Thursday can email MoreInfo@FLaquarium.org or call 813-273-4000 to reschedule the visit. The plan is to reopen on Friday at 9:30 a.m., resuming normal business hours.
Event cancellations
The Yngwie Malmsteen concert at the Nancy And David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, scheduled For Friday, has been rescheduled to Nov. 21. Tickets for the original date will be honored then.
XInsurance Clearwater Offshore Nationals, one of Clearwater Beach’s biggest events for the past decade, has canceled this weekend’s series of powerboat races. “Unfortunately, due to permitting and logistical challenges, this event will not be able to be rescheduled,” the race’s official website announced.
The Melissa Etheridge and Jewel concert at the BayCare Sound, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been canceled. Contact the Raymond James Central Ticket Office at Ruth Eckerd Hall for refunds and credits. rutheckerdhall.com.
Hootie & the Blowfish postponed its show scheduled for Thursday at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre. It will now take place on Sunday. All tickets will be honored for the new date. Get additional tickets at livemu.sc/3ZBrhOz.
The Florida Orchestra has canceled two Soundwaves Chamber Orchestra performances of The Intimate Mahler: Symphony No. 1 — Wednesday’s concert at St. Mary’s Church in St. Petersburg and Thursday’s concert at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center. The concerts will not be rescheduled. The orchestra still plans on going forward with two Saturday Raymond James Pops concerts. Country Hits: Songs of Nashville will take place at 2 and 8 p.m. at the Mahaffey Theater. floridaorchestra.org.
David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts is closed Thursday and has canceled the performance of “POTUS” at the Jobsite Theater. Thursday classes and activities at the Patel Conservatory have been also canceled. strazcenter.org.
Tampa Theatre has postponed Thursday film screenings of “Mississippi Scholar” and “One Hand Clapping.” Ticketholders have been notified by email. tampatheatre.org.
Green Light Cinema in St. Petersburg has also canceled film screenings for Thursday. greenlightstpete.com.
The Tampa Bay Fashion Experience is postponing the Fashion Faceoff Finale Competition that was originally scheduled for Saturday at The Vault. All tickets purchased for the original date will be honored and accepted for the rescheduled event on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at The Vault.
Store storm hours
Publix has posted an interactive map on its website of stores that will be closed or have modified hours Thursday and Friday because of the storm.
Winn-Dixie has posted a store closures update on its website, with most closures in the Big Bend area, although its store in Tarpon Springs is closed on Thursday. The company said it will update store status each morning.
Sunshine Thrift Store is closing all three of its locations on Thursday.
Government and parks
Pinellas County parks and government offices will stay closed Friday as the county responds to damage from Hurricane Helene. Offices will likely reopen Monday, the county said. Park reopening dates will be determined after county crews evaluate storm damage there.
Hillsborough County offices and facilities will be closed Friday for regular operations to allow staff to focus on the emergency response to Hurricane Helene, the county announced on its official website.
The closure includes all Hillsborough County libraries, parks, preserves and recreation centers. All county public meetings have also been postponed. Hillsborough trash, recycling and yard waste pickup is suspended Friday. Regular collection service is anticipated to resume on Saturday.
City of Tampa offices will remain closed through Friday. Additionally, Solid Waste services will be suspended Friday. “Customers are encouraged to download the Tampa Trash and Recycling app on the Apple and Google Play stores to receive real-time updates on service schedule,” a city announcement said.
School closures
Hillsborough, Hernando, Pasco and Pinellas schools will remain closed through Friday.
Classes at Eckerd College, St. Petersburg College, Ultimate Medical Academy in Tampa and Hillsborough Community College are canceled Thursday. The University of South Florida and University of Tampa are closed through Friday.
The University of Florida announced offices will close and classes will be canceled beginning at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. The university plans to reopen at 7 a.m. Friday.
Transportation services
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport, which is in a mandatory evacuation zone, will be closed Thursday. It may reopen Friday.
All flights operated by Allegiant Air on Thursday are canceled.
Tampa International Airport will close at 2 a.m. Thursday and reopen after the storm clears.
Have something else to add to this list? Email gcalise@tampabay.com.
• • •
Tampa Bay Times hurricane coverage 2024
5 things to know about the 2024 hurricane season, according to forecasters.
Forecasters predict ‘extremely active’ 2024 hurricane season. Here’s why.
Could Tampa Bay flood insurance rise after a hurricane? A warning from Hurricane Ian
Want to know what areas are flooding in Tampa Bay? Here’s where to look.
Checklists for building all kinds of storm kits.
