Find a complete listing of April and May events taking place in Polk County at VisitCentralFlorida.org.
Spring Piano Concert
Date: Tuesday, April 8
Venue: Harrison School for the Arts, Lakeland
- The students of Harrison Schools for the Arts will perform repertoire from their favorite composers for the piano, such as; Chopin, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff.
Jewel of the Ridge Jazz Festival
Date: Wednesday, April 9 – Saturday, April 12
Venue: Lake Wales
- The Jewel of the Ridge Jazz Festival will present free concerts by renowned jazz artists presented by Polk State College and the Lake Wales Arts Council.
- The April 9-10 concert will be held at the Polk State JD Alexander Center, while the April 11-12 concert will take place at the Polk State Lake Wales Art Center.
Downtown Lakeland Food Truck Rally
Date: Thursday, April 10
Venue: Munn Park, Lakeland
- Head out to Downtown Lakeland to enjoy a variety of Florida food trucks and their delicious cuisine every second Thursday monthly.
“You Can’t Take It With You”
Date: Thursday, April 10 – Sunday, April 13
Venue: Harrison School for the Arts, Lakeland
- Harrison School for the Arts’ Theatre Department is proud to present “You Can’t Take It With You”, the 1936 Pulitzer Prize winning play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman.
The Dixie Swim Club
Date: Thursday, April 10 – Sunday, April 27
Venue: Theatre Winter Haven
- The Dixie Swim Club is a comedy with a poignant theme as it reflects lasting friendships, change, growing older, marriage, divorce, parenting and perseverance.
Farm to Plate Local Connection: Blueberry Tour
Date: Friday, April 11
Venue: Shady Oaks Fruit Farm, Lakeland
- UF/IFAS Polk County Extension Service invites you to connect with blueberry farmers and products through a blueberry tour that begins at Shady Oaks Fruit Farm in Lakeland.
- The tour will include picking berries at a local U-Pick, a blueberry winery for lunch and sampling as well as the opportunity to learn about packing, marketing and more.
Flicks in the Garden
Date: Friday, April 11
Venue: Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales
- Enjoy family-friendly movie classics on the great lawn at Bok Tower Gardens.
- The April 11 movie is Casablanca.
Wingin’ It! 2014
Date: Friday, April 11 – Saturday, April 12
Venue: Winter Haven Municipal Airport
- Wingin’ It! 2014 will include wing and wing sauce competition, live music and the best brews.
- Most of the cooks will be selling their best bar-b-que, and there will be a wide variety of vendors selling other food and drink items.
Community Day
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland
- Enjoy free family-friendly events every month at Circle B Bar Reserve’s Community Days.
- April’s topic is: Thanks a Pollinator.
Dirt Day
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Circle B Bar Reserve, Lakeland
- Circle B Bar Reserve’s Dirt Day event to is free and open for kids in grades K-5.
- Attendees will learn how growing plants can save our precious water wildlife and wilderness.
Explorations V’s Annual Children’s Festival
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Explorations V Children’s Museum, Lakeland
- Explorations V Annual Children’s Festival will include art, science, music, woodworking, entertainment and many other hands-on activities throughout nearby Munn Park.
- The festival is held in support of the nationally recognized “Week of the Young Child.”
Family Fun Day
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Polk County History Center, Bartow
- The history center invites families to enjoy a day of arts and crafts on the second Saturday of each month.
Gala of the Royal Horses
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: The Lakeland Center
- The Royal Horses of Europe will dance and perform with Spanish Flamenco Dancers at their Lakeland performance.
Good Ol’ Days Festival
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Homeland Heritage Park
- The Good Ol’ Days festival celebrates the history of the pioneer culture of Polk County and the surrounding areas in Florida with live music, first person interpretations, hands-on crafts, pioneer games, vendors, and more.
IRONKIDS Florida
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Lake Eva Park, Haines City
- The IRONKIDS fun run offers young athletes the opportunity to feel the excitement of
competition while enjoying the outdoors and promoting healthy living and includes age-appropriate
distances.
Pack the Park with KidsPACK and the Flying Tigers
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland
- Pack the Park is an annual event at Joker Marchant Stadium designed to bring the community together and pack the park to take a stand against child hunger.
Polk Heart & Stroke Ball
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: The Lakeland Center
- Join the 2014 Polk Heart & Stroke Ball: Unite to Ignite, benefiting the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
Run the Ridge 5K
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Lake Eva Park, Haines City
- The Haines City Leisure Services Department is excited to present Run the Ridge 5K, an event open to the entire family.
SPCA Florida Walk for Animals
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: Lake Mirror, Lakeland
- The 22nd Walk for Animals will feature canine demonstrations, a live radio remote, dog competitions and contest—including a canine costume contest—with prizes, and much more.
Winter Haven Hospital Foundation’s Citrus Classic 5K Run and Walk
Date: Saturday, April 12
Venue: LEGOLAND® Florida, Winter Haven
- Runners and walkers can play – or run – their part during the Winter Haven Hospital Foundation Citrus Classic 5K, a community-wide health event designed for participants of all ages featuring a 5K Run and Fun Walk at LEGOLAND® Florida.
Florida Ice Cream Festival
Date: Saturday, April 12 – Sunday, April 13
Venue: SUN ‘n FUN, Lakeland
- Stop by the 2nd Annual Florida Ice Cream Festival at the SUN ‘n FUN grounds for a fun-filled day of family entertainment, activities, live music and acts, arts & crafts fair, and plenty of ice cream.
Mid Florida Bike MS: The Citrus Tour 2014
Date: Saturday, April 12 – Sunday, April 13
Venue: Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales
- The National MS Society’s Bike MS: The Citrus Tour 2014 takes you through the old Florida citrus groves where hundreds of riders will experience the serene beauty of Bok Tower Gardens.
IRONMAN 70.3 Florida
Date: Sunday, April 13
Venue: Lake Eva Park, Haines City
- IRONMAN 70.3 Florida, a 2,800 participant event, will take place for the third annual year at Lake Eva Park in Haines City.
Music of the Masters – Lakeland Choral Society
Date: Sunday, April 13
Venue: First Presbyterian Church, Lakeland
- The Lakeland Choral Society presents Music of the Masters, featuring Mass settings for choir and orchestra, directed by Dr. Larry Sledge.
Imperial Symphony Orchestra’s Masterworks 5
Date: Tuesday, April 15
Venue: The Lakeland Center
- The Imperial Symphone Orchestra presents Masterworks 5 An Evening of Broadway part of the 2013-2014 Masterworks Series at The Lakeland Center.
Lunch & Learn Lecture Series
Date: Tuesday, April 15
Venue: Polk County History Center, Bartow
- The museum invites guests to bring lunch and listen to a guest speaker on the third Tuesday every month.
- April’s speaker is: Mark Tlachac on Frank Lloyd Wright and Florida Southern College
RECURRING EVENTS:
La Florida: 500 Years In the Place of Flowers – Through April 10 (Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales)
Sylvia – Through April 13 (Lakeland Community Theatre)
Lorraine Potocki at The Loft Art Gallery – Through April 30 (The Loft Art Gallery, Lakeland)
RussMatt Central Florida Baseball Invitational – Through April 1 (Polk County)
Installations by Dan Gunderson & Barbara Sorensen – Through June 14 (Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland)
Chagall for Children – Through July 12 (Explorations V Children’s Museum, Lakeland)
Lakeland Flying Tigers – Through August 31 (Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland)
Haines City Farmers Market – Wednesdays weekly
Winter Haven Farmers Market – Thursdays weekly
Downtown Lakeland Farmers Curb Market – Saturdays weekly
Lake Wales Farmers Market – Second and fourth Saturdays monthly
3rd Saturday Market Bartow – Third Saturday monthly
Highland City Community Market – Third Saturday monthly
Mulberry Farmers Market – Third Saturday monthly
4th Saturday Market Winter Haven – Fourth Saturday monthly
Saturday Night Rodeo – Saturdays weekly (Westgate River Ranch Resort, River Ranch)
Children’s Programming: – Monday through Friday weekly (Explorations V Children’s Museum, Lakeland)
For this week’s sporting events, check out “What’s Happening in Central Florida Sports” on CatchCentralFlorida.com.