From music to manatees: Here's your Memorial Day weekend events in Daytona Beach
Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the traditional summer vacation season, an occasion celebrated with an assortment of activities at the World’s Most Famous Beach.
From music to museums, there will be plenty of opportunities to shift into the summer mindset.
Here’s are highlights of what’s on tap for the long holiday weekend:
A native son returns
At the historic Daytona Beach Bandshell, the summer concert season will open in style with a Friday night performance by Florida Georgia Line singer and Volusia County native Brian Kelley.
Now embarking on a solo career, Kelley — the son of former Volusia County Council Chair Ed Kelley — mined recollections of his formative years on the waterways and baseball diamonds of his hometown to create the beachy vibe of his debut solo album, “Sunshine State of Mind.”
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. show range from $29-$94 plus fees online at DaytonaBandshell.com and ticketmaster.com.
More Bandshell music
A beloved Daytona Beach summer staple returns with the first show in the summer-long “Star Spangled Summer Concert Series,” an annual free Saturday night showcase at the Bandshell.
Presented by Friends of the Bandshell, this year’s Star-Spangled lineup of pop-rock tribute acts will launch with a performance by Turnstiles, a Billy Joel tribute band.
General admission to the Star-Spangled shows is free, with audience members welcome to bring along personal chairs to use in the GA section.
VIP reserved seating also available for $15, with those tickets available online at DaytonaBandshell.com and ticketmaster.com. Reserved tickets also will be sold, if available, on show days at the Peabody Auditorium Box Office (600 Auditorium Blvd). and the Daytona Bandshell Box Office.
The music starts at 7:15 p.m. followed by fireworks over the beach at 9:45 p.m.
Stars on diamond, in the skies
The Museum of Arts & Sciences will combine stargazing with America’s favorite pastime at “MOAS Astronomy Night At the Ballpark” at the Daytona Tortugas’ minor-league baseball game on Friday at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
The Tortugas will take on the Lakeland Flying Tigers at 6:35 p.m., followed by a special live night sky tour with MOAS Curator of Astronomy Seth Mayo as guide to the stars. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. and the first 1,000 fans receive a free Astronomy Night t-shirt.
Find details at MOAS.org.
Mermaids and manatees at Ponce Inlet
The historic connection between mermaids and manatees will be the starting point for a family-friendly afternoon of education and fun on the lawn at the Ponce Inlet Historical Museum, 143 Beach Street, Ponce Inlet.
The free event starts at 10 a.m. Saturday, but space is limited. Please call 386-761-2408 to register.
Visit ponce-inlet.org for details.
Honoring freedom's sacrifices
The sacrifices made by U.S. military veterans to preserve our freedom will be honored at a Memorial Day Ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday at the Ponce Inlet Veterans Memorial at Davies Lighthouse Park, 4931 S. Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet.
The ceremony is presented by the Ponce Inlet Veteran's Memorial Association. Visit ponce-inlet.org for details.
In Ormond Beach, there also will be a Memorial Day Remembrance Event at 9 a.m. Monday at Rockefeller Gardens, on the east banks of the Halifax River, south of Granada Boulevard.
The event is presented by the City of Ormond Beach Leisure Services Department’s Memorial Remembrance Committee, American Legion Post 267 and American Legion Unit 267.
For details, visit ormondbeach.org or call 386-676-3241.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Check out Memorial Day events in Daytona, including Brian Kelley
