This weekend, nearly 100 artists from across the United States display works in a variety of mediums, including ceramics, drawing and pastels, photography, oil, acrylic, and watercolor painting, printmaking, sculpture and metalwork, mixed media, wearable art, fiber, glass, and wood during the St. Petersburg Holiday Arts Festival.

Located on the north lawn of the Museum of Fine Arts, juried art show and sale runs from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.

Also on Saturday, start the day out with a visit to the Saturday Morning Market for holiday goodies or that special gift; take in a performance by the Pinellas Youth Symphony at the Palladium Theater or jazz up the season with Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday.

Continue a family tradition or start a new one with The Chocolate Nutcracker at The Mahaffey at 2 and 7 p.m. or enjoy the Dickens Carolers at The Pier from 6 to 8 p.m., before finishing up the day with a visit with Santa and ice skating in North Straub Park from 6 to 9 p.m.

On Sunday, the Tierra Verde Island Singers present their annual Christmas Cantata at the Palladium at 3 and 7 p.m. with free admission. Donations will be accepted.
Other must-do events this weekend, acrobats from Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA perform final flips inside the Grand Chapiteau in the Tropicana Field parking lot through Sunday. The remaining lineup includes two performances tomorrow and Saturday at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 5 p.m. Get tickets at the Tropicana Field box office or www.cirquedusoleil.com.

Or secure your boarding pass aboard Titanic – The Artifact Exhibition. The exhibit, which runs through March 3, 2013, features shipboard and passenger memorabilia, culled from the debris field of the ill-fated ocean liner, video and 3D images taken during underwater explorations and replicas of passenger cabins, along with a touchable ‘iceberg.’  The exhibition is open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays from Noon to 5:30 p.m., except Christmas Day. www.themahaffey.com

For a complete list of weekend and holiday activities in St. Petersburg, visit www.stpete.org/events.