Nerd Nite St. Pete-May 2026

*Nerd Nite St. Pete will be at Coastal Creative in May*

Food Trucks open at 6pm:

Learning hits different with a drink in your hand and smart people around you. Nerd Nite is a worldwide phenomenon, popping up in over a hundred cities, including right here in St. Pete.

Each month, three passionate presenters take the stage for fascinating and fun 20-minute talks on things they truly geek out about. You will get to sip cocktails, eat from local vendors, mingle, laugh, and follow curiosity wherever it wanders.

Think of it as a lecture series that ditched the podium and grabbed a beer instead.
Drink. Learn. Connect. Come for the fun facts, stay for the conversations, and leave knowing something you didn’t when you walked in.

Doors open at 6pm. Presentations begin promptly at 7pm.

Tickets are $6.91. All tickets will be sold online.
No need to print tickets: Give us your name and we will check you in.

Check out this month's speakers:

Kelli Nielsen

Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering Is Automatic

We all experience pain, it's wired into our biology. But neuroscience reveals something surprising: suffering isn't inevitable, it's automatic. Your brain runs deeply embedded scripts, beliefs and stories written long ago that automatically activate when pain arrives, transforming simple hurt into full-blown suffering. This talk explores the gap between pain and suffering, how your subconscious narratives hijack your experience, and why the good news is your brain can be rewired. Your circumstances aren't creating suffering, it's the stories you tell yourself about them. By bringing awareness to these automatic patterns, you can interrupt the suffering loop and find genuine relief, not by denying pain, but by understanding it differently. Perfect for anyone curious about neuroscience, psychology, resilience, and why the same situation affects different people so differently.

Kelli Nielsen is the founder of Grace For Living After Loss, and the author of "You’re Not Crazy, You’re Grieving". She guides people through grief recovery using faith-informed support and neuroscience-based, practical tools that help the mind and emotions make sense of what you’re experiencing, and learn how to build a healthier way to live forward. Kelli is also an improv comic and performs at Spitfire Theatre, bringing humor, storytelling, and emotional flexibility into her work of helping others move from feeling stuck to feeling steady again.

Alex Kaufman

Will It Cut? The Science of CNC Waterjets

90,000 PSI of cold water blasting through a 0.015-inch diamond orifice, slicing through almost any material on Earth. While this sounds like science fiction, it is actually the reality of the WATERJET, one of the more elusive but interesting CNC technologies in the world today. Part surgical instrument, part industrial monster - the waterjet is the tool of choice for engineers, fabricators, and artists pushing the limits of precision and possibility. Join designer, engineer, and artist Alex Kaufman for a fast-paced dive into the science of waterjet cutting, featuring real-world public artworks made right here in St. Petersburg.

Alex Kaufman is an engineer-turned-jeweler-turned-3D-printed-cookie-cutter-magnate-turned-public artist based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Known for projects like The Sunshine City Mosaic and MGA Sculpture Studio’s First Flight Monument, Kaufman has been the CAD mind behind some of the city’s most ambitious public artworks. Originally from Ft Lauderdale, he’s called St. Pete home since 2016, carving out a behind-the-scenes role in the city’s creative fabric. His work blends engineering, machinery, and art — constantly pushing the boundaries of design in the public realm.

Alison Barlow

Innovation District: Where Nerds, Startups, and Scientists Collide

What do you get when you mix a bunch of problem-solvers, caffeine-fueled entrepreneurs, and lab-coated innovators in one area? The Innovation District — our own science-meets-tech playground. It’s where ideas crash into each other (sometimes literally), and sparks of creativity turn into world-changing projects. Come hear how we are building the future — one wild idea, experiment, and collaboration at a time.

Alison Barlow, a proud (almost) St. Pete native, is the CEO of the St. Petersburg Innovation District. She turns bold ideas into real-world impact — and occasionally chaos (the good kind). She’s the force behind the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub - a clubhouse for ocean geeks and tech nerds - and co-runs a national ocean accelerator network.