Looking for fun and adventure this weekend? Here are our major picks of events taking place in the Orlando and Tampa Bay areas:

Orlando area

Spooky Empire

Hundreds of horror fans will descend upon Orlando this weekend for Spooky Empire.

The horror convention, one of the largest in the U.S., was rescheduled due to Hurricane Matthew. Special guests include the cast of Stranger Things, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Ric Flair and more. Tickets costs $35-$75. For more information, visit http://www.spookyempire.com/

Light Up UCF

One of Orlando’s most anticipated holiday events, Light Up UCF features ice skating, rides, a holiday film festival and other holiday attractions. Light Up UCF is located at the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida. Parking is free. Tickets to ice skate costs $12. Light Up UCF runs through Jan. 7. For more information, visit http://www.lightupucf.com/

OUC Half Marathon

The OUC Orlando Half Marathon & Track Shack Lake Eola 5K is one of the Southeast’s top road races.  In its 40th year, runners races through scenic downtown Orlando and Lake Eola. The Half Marathon starts at 7:30 a.m. The 5K starts at 7:40 a.m.

Tampa area

St. Pete Beach Boat Parade

Check out boats of every size and shape lit up like Christmas trees for the holidays sailing from the Blind Pass Bridge south to the Bayside Bridge. The parade starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, and includes a free viewing party complete with music, hot chocolate, children’s art projects, and a visit from jolly ol’ Saint Nick. For more information, call 727-363-9264.

Christmas in the Wild

This brand-new event at the Lowry Park Zoo includes carolers, costumed characters, a Christmas tree, and photo ops with Santa and his elves, in addition to, of course, the zoo’s animals. The party is included with the price of admission during the day, or costs $21.95 after 4 p.m. For more information, visit http://www.lowryparkzoo.com. 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa.

Holiday Lights in the Gardens

The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo will be decked out with more than a million holiday lights for visitors’ enjoyment Sunday. The event also boasts lasers, animated figures, and costumed characters, including Santa. For more information, visit http://www.flbg.org.  12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo.