Where is the newest part of The Bay you can use this October? It's the boat basin at the park's southern edge, because the piece scheduled for Van Wezel Way this month isn't ready. The Plaza is a new town square between the Municipal Auditorium and the Chidsey Library, built around a large shade structure. Your Observer reported in May that it would open "this October." Draft minutes from the Bay Park Conservancy's July 21 board meeting say the Plaza is behind schedule because of problems building the shade structure, and it will now be finished by summer 2027.
So the park is celebrating its fourth birthday with its land-side town square still unfinished. Meanwhile the part that has quietly opened, and the part coming next, both sit on the boat basin. That shift says more about where The Bay is heading than anything on the anniversary calendar.
The party still has a month to run
There's a lot of celebrating first. The City of Sarasota and the Conservancy are running "One Park FOUR All," a free anniversary program from October 1 to November 1 with more than 70 events. The City's announcement puts the park at more than 1.2 million visits since it opened in October 2022. Rocky Horror and Park-toberfest have already happened. Here's what's left of the six signature events:
| Event | Date and time | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Salsa & Sunsets Community Celebration | Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Moved from Oct. 7 because of weather. Anniversary toast, live music, Latino-inspired dance party |
| Boo! at The Bay Family Halloween | Saturday, Oct. 17, 5:00 to 7:45 p.m. | Costumes, trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, family movie |
| Taste of The Bay Food Festival | Sunday, Oct. 25, noon to 3:00 p.m. | Signature dishes from locally owned restaurants, presented by Sarasota-Manatee Originals |
| Best of The Bay Music Fest | Sunday, Nov. 1, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m. | All-day festival of regional talent |
The City's update came on October 7, so check it for the rescheduled Salsa & Sunsets date in case weather moves things again. Outside the signature events, the release lists dozens of other free sessions: live music, movies, dance, fitness, family activities and guided kayak tours.
Taste of The Bay is the one to plan around. The Bay's event page puts it in The Oval Parking Lot. Admission is free, food is bought with event tickets in $5 increments, and drinks are sold separately. The restaurant list includes Michael's on East, Duvals, Harry's Continental Kitchens, Marcel DW, Masō Steakhouse, Mimi Brasserie & Speakeasy, Figaro Bistro, Cafe Gabbiano, Tamiami Tap, Mi Pueblo, Miguels Restaurant, Jack Dusty/Rufa, Tzeva and 1592 Wood Fired Kitchen & Cocktails, among others. Your Observer also covered the lineup on October 8. Fins at Sharky's is on the list too, and that turns out to matter for the park's future, as you'll see below.
What's fenced, and for how long
The Bay is 53 acres. The first 10-acre phase opened in October 2022. Phase 2 covers the next 14 acres, costs $65 million, is fully funded, and is expected to finish in 2027. The Conservancy's Phase 2 page breaks it into three projects: the Canal District, the Cultural District and the Resilient Shoreline. This fall they're at very different stages.
The Cultural District is partly done and partly delayed. The plan for the Tamiami Trail side ties four historic buildings, all on the National Register, together with a tree-lined promenade: the Chidsey Library, the Garden Club, the Municipal Auditorium and the Blue Pagoda. The Conservancy's annual report lists that promenade along the Trail as finished, and says the Bayfront Community Center opened in February 2026. In January, Your Observer reported that work on the Chidsey Library, Blue Pagoda and Garden Club was complete. The Municipal Auditorium is a different story. The Bay's venue-rental page, last updated in May, lists it as closed for renovation from April 2026 through February 2027. The Plaza next door now aims for summer 2027. That puts the two pieces meant to anchor the civic end of the park on roughly the same delayed schedule.
The Resilient Shoreline is the biggest fenced area. This project turns about a mile of the park's western bayfront into a living shoreline, with new green space, walking paths, and rain and stormwater ponds. A notice on The Bay's events pages in mid-October says the western edges of the parking lot north of the Van Wezel, plus the Centennial Park parking lot, are closed for the work. If you're used to parking along that edge, check before you drive in.
The Canal District is already open for business.
The basin is where the park is going
In February, the Conservancy opened new floating day docks on the south side of the Centennial Park boat basin, just north of 10th Street. Before that, getting to The Bay by boat wasn't really an option. The Conservancy's announcement spells out the rules:
- Docking is free for now. The Conservancy says fees may come later.
- There's a five-hour limit, strictly enforced, and boats that overstay can be cited.
- Spaces are first-come, first-served. The docks fit 13 or more boats of about 26 feet, and boats up to 40 feet are allowed.
- No overnight docking between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., when the park is closed.
- The City of Sarasota Parks & Recreation Department maintains the docks, and the City's Parking Division enforces the hours.
The docks float, so they rise and fall with the tide and with storm surge instead of sitting at a fixed height. For a boater, that means you can tie up for the three-hour Taste of The Bay and be back on the water well inside the limit. The Nov. 1 music fest runs six hours, so a boater staying the whole time would go past the five-hour cap.
The basin is also where The Bay's first restaurant is going. Your Observer reported in May that it's planned for the former U.S. Coast Guard station site at the southwestern tip of the boat basin, with a fall 2027 opening target. The details from that report:
- Design: Sarasota Modern architecture by Sweet Sparkman Architecture, a Sarasota firm.
- Size: about 5,000 square feet under roof, with fewer than 220 indoor seats and 100 outdoor seats.
- Flood resilience: built on 12-foot pylons.
- Operator: Venice Pier Group, a family-owned company that runs Sharky's on the Pier and Fins at Sharky's in Venice, along with the concessions at Siesta Beach Pavilion.
"It's an incredible location," Conservancy founding CEO AG Lafley told city commissioners, according to the same Your Observer report. "It's a one of a kind." The Conservancy's Phase 2 page describes the restaurant as the park's first chance at a "much-desired bayfront dining experience." Since Fins at Sharky's is serving at Taste of The Bay on Oct. 25, the festival is the closest thing to an early preview of the people behind that kitchen.
The Phase 3 concepts point the same way. Your Observer's May coverage describes plans north of the basin to expand Centennial Park with more vehicle and trailer parking, a bigger ramp area and more day docks. Further out, the plans add a parking structure next to the Municipal Auditorium and, eventually, a Sarasota Performing Arts Center built and run by the Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation. The same report noted that the later phases depend partly on how state property tax reform affects the tax-increment funding behind the park. Phase 3 plans are not commitments, and the Sunset Pier is still listed "on hold" because of cost and timing.
The free programs that keep running
Most of what makes The Bay useful week to week happens on the finished part of the park, and it doesn't stop on November 1. The Conservancy's programs page lists free Mat Pilates, Bootcamp, Primetime+, Tai Chi and yoga, all of which appear on the October and November calendars. The October calendar also has free Ride & Paddle guided kayak tours, described as intermediate level. On the November calendar, the free Sundays at The Bay concert series continues week by week.
One thing not on this fall's calendar is Opera at The Bay. This year it ran as three recorded-opera screenings in April and May.
"The best measure of The Bay is how people use it," Lafley said in the City's anniversary announcement. This fall, that means the Oval and the paths along the bay are where the free events happen, the Tamiami Trail side is waiting on the Plaza and the Auditorium, and the boat basin is the one area with something new you can use today. The Conservancy's calendar is the best place to check what's on before you go.
Brenda keeps tabs on projects like The Bay because the timelines shape how each part of downtown Sarasota feels to live near, both now and in 2027. If you're thinking about how the bayfront build-out fits into your own plans, whether you're already nearby or weighing a seasonal move from New Jersey, Brenda Wolfe can walk you through it. Let's talk about your next move. Schedule a consultation.
