The 10 Days at The Bay closing weekend brings over 30 free events including concerts by renowned performers, a RADD Fundraiser, Halloween festivities, Multicultural Day, and more to Sarasota’s newest bayfront park.
SARASOTA, Fla. – October 19, 2022 – The 10 Days at The Bay Grand Opening of the park continues with a number of free closing weekend events! The Grand Opening began on Friday, October 14, and continues through Sunday, October 23.
Highlights of the closing weekend include:
RADD Night Hurricane Relief Fundraiser – Thursday, October 20, 5-9pm
DreamLarge, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, and Anonymous Supporters of The Bay have partnered to host fundraising efforts for Hurricane Ian victims at RADD Night. Throughout the event, every donation, 100% of beverage sales, and 10% of every purchase goes directly to hurricane relief efforts. Gulf Coast Community Foundation and Anonymous Supporters of The Bay are generously matching all funds raised, dollar-for-dollar. The night will be filled with live music, murals, interactive art, food trucks, and more to help support a good cause!
Boo! At The Bay Halloween – Friday, October 21, 6-10pm
Celebrate Halloween early at The Bay! Join in after dark for a not-so-scary evening of trick or treating, free pumpkin pickings, yard games, food truck feasts, face painting and more:
● Sensory -Friendly Hour (5-6pm)
● Haunted Mangrove Trail (5-9pm)
● Spooky Mangrove Guided Tour by UF/IFAS Sarasota County Extension & Sustainability (6:30pm)
● Family Movie Night: Hocus Pocus (7:30pm)
Multicultural Day at The Bay – Saturday, October 22, 12-7pm
The inaugural celebration of Multicultural Day at The Bay will be filled with delicious cuisine, unique performances, and fun, free activities for all. A wide range of ethnicities and backgrounds will be represented through food, performance, and art – featuring performances by Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Bollywood Dancers, Tierra Nueva, Kuumba Dancers, CreArte Latino, Sarasota Youth Opera, Jaleo World Music and more.
Parktoberfest – Sunday, October 23, 12-5pm
Toast to cheer and good times with seasonal brews by Big Top Brewing and scrumptious food by Currywurst, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, and more. This is a family-friendly event with a hoppy twist – enjoy classic Oktoberfest games and healthy competitions like stein hoisting, corn hole, lawn bowling, and more! Get a FREE take-home caricature drawing and enjoy tasty German cuisine and beer from local vendors.
Etana & Jah Movement Closing Weekend Concert – Sunday, October 23, 6-9:30pm
Closeout 10 Days at The Bay with a trifecta of live performances by Ariella, Sarasota-favorite Jah Movement, and two-time Grammy-nominated artist Etana!
Etana is a singer, songwriter, producer and humanitarian. Her album Reggae Forever made it to #1 on the reggae billboard and was nominated by the Grammy Committee for best reggae album in 2018 – making Etana the first female in over twenty years to be nominated.
A full schedule of free events will continue through the end of the celebration including: daily yoga, fitness classes, nature walks, live musical performances every evening around sunset, as well as salsa dancing and Zumba.
The park, which has been in development since 2019, includes more than 14 acres of revitalized greenspace, a larger-than-life Ibis playground, Common Ground lawns, a Fountain Garden, multiple walkways, an outdoor Reading Room, an ADA-accessible paddle launch, restored and preserved mangroves and shorelines, and spectacular sunset views.
10 Days at The Bay is sponsored by One Park Sarasota, Jody Beresford and Bob Mayer, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, the City of Sarasota, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, DreamLarge, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Michael and Terri Klauber, AG Lafley, Cathy Layton and Pete Russell, UnidosNow, the Van Wezel Foundation, and generous Friends of The Bay.
For more information about 10 Days at The Bay, visit the website at www.10DaysatTheBay.org. For more information about The Bay and The Bay Park Conservancy, visit www.thebaysarasota.org
About The Bay
The Bay is a new, signature, public park along Sarasota Bay. Designed to be “one park for all,” The Bay is open and accessible, free and welcoming to the full and rich diversity of the community, now and for generations to come.
The Bay preserves, restores and transforms 53 acres of precious city-owned land along Sarasota Bay into a blue and green oasis – providing a sustainable bayfront gathering place for the community to experience a wide range of park uses, free programs and events.
The park will cost about $150 million and will take between 7-10 years, over 3 or more phases to complete. The Blue Pagoda serves as a welcome center for visitors and an on-site office for The Bay Park Conservancy. For more information or general inquiries about this initiative, please visit www.thebaysarasota.org or call 941-203-5316.
About The Bay’s Grand Opening
10 Days at The Bay is a ten-day grand opening celebration in recognition of the opening of Phase 1 of The Bay Park.
The celebration runs from October 14-23, and includes more than 90 FREE events – something for everyone to enjoy – including family fun days, food and cultural festivals, headlining musical acts by We The Kings and Etana, Boo! at The Bay Halloween, Sarasota’s first Parktoberfest and more.
The entire celebration is intertwined with everyday programming including: daily guided kayak tours in partnership with Ride and Paddle, fitness classes provided by CoreSRQ, free yoga taught by local yogis, guided nature walks, and live music every day around sunset. Throughout the ten days, a number of local performing arts organizations will make an appearance including Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Sarasota Orchestra, Sarasota Youth Opera, and more. Learn more at www.10DaysAtTheBay.org
About The Bay Park Conservancy
The Bay Park Conservancy (BPC) was formed as a 501c3 not-for-profit organization in 2019 to implement the master plan approved by the Sarasota City Commission to conserve 53 acres of public land for a signature park on Sarasota Bay. The BPC entered a long-term partnership with the City and will fund, develop, operate, and sustain the park for the benefit of the community, now, and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.thebaysarasota.org.