At 7:30 on a Tuesday morning, The Y: Primetime+ class starts on the lawn at The Bay. At 6:00 that evening, Bootcamp meets in the same park. On Wednesday Gail teaches Tai Chi and Qigong at 8:00, and when the sun sets over Sarasota Bay, the dance program begins. The park's first phase opened in October 2022. Four years later, its free programs keep a schedule steady enough to plan a week around.
The construction dates are still moving. The shaded Plaza on Van Wezel Way was due this month and is now due next summer. The City's seawall work along Bayfront Park is still in its first phase. The newest piece that has actually opened sits at the water's edge, not on the walking paths.
Sunday's Finale on Boulevard of the Arts
The month-long One Park FOUR All 4th Anniversary Community Celebration has run since October 1. The Conservancy lists more than 70 free events, including Park-toberfest, Boo! at The Bay Family Halloween, Taste of The Bay and Opera at The Bay. It ends this Sunday, November 1, with the Best of The Bay Music Fest at 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. The festival runs 1:00 to 7:00 p.m., and the City's listing marks it free.
Food trucks open at 12:30. The music is scheduled by the hour:
- 2:00 p.m. The White Crowe Band, country and rock
- 3:00 p.m. Rosine, folk
- 4:00 p.m. The Rockefellers, crowd favorites
- 5:00 p.m. Speak Easy
- 6:00 p.m. Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, soul, R&B and groove
Between sets, the lineup includes the Booker High School Drum Line, Cirque Vertigo, Candi the Violinist, Longboat Key Turtle Watch, the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and Ride and Paddle. Food comes from Lobstah Daze, Mr. Bulgogi, Nana's Bananas, Simply Greek, Rita's Italian Ice, Toast Thyme and Vesuvio Wood Fired Pizza. PopStroke is also on the vendor list, and The Nest Café is handling drinks and snacks.
South Van Wezel Way will be closed. Drivers are directed in through the 10th Street roundabout off North Tamiami Trail, and pedestrians enter at Boulevard of the Arts at 6th Street. Free parking is first come, first served at Van Wezel, Municipal Auditorium, the Blue Pagoda, the north side of Boulevard of the Arts and the nearby Rosemary District. The Conservancy asks visitors to stay off the south side of the boulevard and out of the Sarasota Orchestra spaces. The Van Wezel lot fills twice in one week. On Saturday, November 7, it hosts Shred Stock from 9:00 a.m. to noon, run with the City's Records and Information Management Division.
A Week That Runs on the Same Clock
When the festival ends, the regular weekly schedule takes over. It is all free, and a regular November week looks like this:
- Monday, 6:00 p.m. Mat Pilates, led by BodyBar Pilates Sarasota instructors
- Tuesday, 7:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The Y: Primetime+, a low-impact class pitched to active seniors and beginners, then Bootcamp
- Wednesday, 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tai Chi and Qigong with Gail, then Dance at The Bay, with a different program each week. Salsa & Sunsets on November 4 opens with a free lesson from a Fred Astaire instructor. Zumba with Yaël Campbell follows on November 11, and Dancing with Donald on November 18, taught by Donald Frison, resident choreographer for Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.
- Thursday, 7:30 a.m., 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Primetime+, Namaste at The Bay Yoga, then Cinema at The Bay
- Friday and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Ride and Paddle's guided kayak tour through the restored mangroves. It is free, intermediate-level, and listed as a $60 value. Saturdays also have Bootcamp at 8:00 and yoga at 9:00.
- Sunday, 4:30 p.m. Sundays at The Bay, an hour of free live music
Thursday's films are tied to the calendar. All the President's Men screens November 5, two days after the midterm elections, with an introduction from Suncoast Searchlight. Top Gun plays November 12 for its 40th anniversary, introduced by Operation Warrior Resolution for Veterans Day. There is no film on Thursday, November 19. The Sound of Music sing-along moves to Saturday, November 21. In December, The Holiday plays on the 3rd and It's a Wonderful Life on the 10th.
The Sunday series also follows the season. On November 8 the Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota Brass Quintet play a Veterans Day tribute. Clover's Revenge plays November 15, J Santi November 22, and Grace Burke & Gannon Torrella November 29. For a slower morning, the Moderns that Matter tour with Architecture Sarasota covers the historically and architecturally significant buildings on the grounds. One date is Friday, November 13, at 10:00 a.m. The calendar has no events listed on Thanksgiving Day or the Friday after it.
The Newest Entrance Is From the Water
Most of what feels new at The Bay this fall is programming. The one physical addition that has opened is easy to miss from the lawn. In February the Conservancy opened new floating day docks on the south side of the Centennial Park boat basin, just north of 10th Street.
The docks were designed for 13 or more boats of about 26 feet, and vessels up to 40 feet are allowed. Spaces are first come, first served. Docking is free for now, but the five-hour limit is strictly enforced, and boaters who stay longer can be cited. Nothing may stay overnight between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., when the park is closed. The Conservancy notes that fees may come later. The dock section directly across from the boat ramps has no cleats, which keeps the channel clear for launching.
Five hours is long enough for a Sunday concert and a meal, or for an afternoon at the Music Fest. Because the docks float, they rise and fall with the tides, which the Conservancy says gives boaters more consistent and safer access than fixed docks. The Conservancy's May presentation to the City Commission listed the docks as finished in February. The Bayfront Community Center rehabilitation was finished that same month.
The Dates That Moved
Everything else in Phase 2 is still under construction, and several dates have changed since spring. The Conservancy groups the work into a Canal District, a Cultural District and a Resilient Shoreline, all expected to finish by 2027.
| Project | Earlier target | Current target |
|---|---|---|
| The Plaza, Van Wezel Way | October 2026 | Summer 2027 |
| Resilient Shoreline | Early 2027 | |
| Municipal Auditorium rehabilitation | February 2027 | |
| First bayfront restaurant | Fall 2027 |
The Plaza is the one that slipped. It is planned as a shaded gathering space between Municipal Auditorium and Chidsey Library, with room for events and rentals. Materials published in May still showed an October 2026 opening. At the Conservancy's July 21 board meeting, staff reported that The Plaza was behind schedule because of problems building the shade structures and would be finished by summer 2027. At that same meeting, CEO A.G. Lafley said damage from the 2024 storms had given the team a chance to redesign the Resilient Shoreline.
The restaurant will be in the former Coast Guard station. Your Observer reported that Sweet Sparkman Architecture is designing it and Venice Pier Group will operate it. The Herald-Tribune identifies Venice Pier Group as the operator of The Nest Café, which is already open. No name for the restaurant has been announced. Further north, Phase 3 includes expanded boating and parking at Centennial Park, and ABC7 reported that build-out of the overall park is targeted for the end of 2029.
Planning Around the Fences
The Bay Park Conservancy isn't running all of the work near the water. The City of Sarasota is managing its own Bayfront Park Seawall project, which covers about 1,506 linear feet along Bayfront Park and the marina's A Dock. Earth Tech Enterprises is the contractor. The project costs $5,569,022.03. A Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant covers $3,588,000 of that and a West Coast Inland Navigation District grant covers $500,000, so outside grants pay for roughly three-quarters. City capital funds cover the rest.
Phase One began May 5 and was scheduled for substantial completion in September 2026. Late October is past that date, but the City's project page still lists the project as in Phase 1 construction. Phase Two is scheduled to start in late 2026 or early 2027, with the full project done in spring or summer 2027. The City says access stays open outside active construction zones. Limited access in the Phase One area is to be restored as work moves to Phase Two, and full access is expected when the project is finished. The new cap will be higher, and the grades next to it will be raised to protect the park, the marina and public infrastructure.
The Bay's own calendar continues into December. Hanukkah runs December 4 through 12, and the Holidays at The Bay Community Celebration is set for Saturday, December 12. Event schedules can change, so check The Bay's calendar before heading out.
If you are thinking about how close to the bayfront you want your next address to be, as The Plaza, the shoreline and the restaurant open over 2027, Melissa Gissinger would be glad to walk the park with you and talk through what each new piece means for the streets around it. Book an Appointment whenever you're ready.
