The Bay’s Anniversary Starts Next Week

October 13, 2023 – Sarasota

The Bay Park Conservancy will kick off The Bay Turns One! – a five-day First Anniversary Community Celebration beginning Wednesday, October 18, 2023.

The Bay, a signature bayfront public park designed to be “one park for all,” has become a beloved and sustainable gathering place for the community with more than 250,000 visitors in its first year. The park’s First Anniversary community celebration will feature “the very best of The Bay” and provide free, exciting, and diverse programming for the entire community to enjoy. The full schedule of events can be found online at www.TheBayTurnsOne.org.

The Bay Turns One! First Anniversary Community Celebration begins on Wednesday, October 18 and runs through Sunday, October 22.

Highlights of the five-day celebration include:

• A Latino-inspired, family-friendly ¡Bailando for All! dance party(Wednesday, October 18)
• A one-year milestone Community Celebration Party recognizing one-year old babies and couples who have been together for one year (Thursday, October 19)
• A not-so-scary Boo! at The Bay Halloween event filled with trick-or-treating, free pumpkin pickings, a double-feature movie night and includes a Sensory-Friendly hour (Friday, October 20)
• The Second Annual Multicultural Festival at The Bay celebrating a tapestry of cultures with vibrant performances and delicious cuisine (Saturday, October 21)
• A bayside concert featuring Journey former lead vocalist Steve Augeri (Saturday, October 21)
• The Second Annual Taste of The Bay food festival in partnership with the Sarasota-Manatee Originals (Sunday, October 22)
• A not-to-miss “Soul & Sass” concert by Sarasota’s own Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe (Sunday, October 22)

The entire celebration is intertwined with everyday free programming such as guided kayak tours in partnership with Ride & Paddle, fitness classes provided by CoreSRQ, yoga taught by local yogis, guided nature walks, and music featuring some of the area’s favorite artists.

“We are looking forward to celebrating this important one-year milestone with those in the community,” says Stephanie Crockatt, President and CEO of The Bay Park Conservancy. “As always at The Bay, every one of the 30+ First Anniversary events are open and accessible, free and welcoming to all. Please come and enjoy all that this magnificent signature public park has to offer during The Bay Turns One! five-day celebration.”

Everyone is encouraged to bring family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, Meet-up and other groups and clubs to attend the many free events offered in the park.

Providing the community with 5 days of FREE fun-filled activities and events is no small undertaking — it requires a lot of help from many. Many Volunteer roles are still available.

For more information and to register for various The Bay Turns One! events, visit the website at www.TheBayTurnsOne.org. The community is also invited to subscribe to The Bay newsletter and follow The Bay on Facebook and Instagram.

The Bay Turns One! is sponsored by generous Friends of The Bay including: Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Jody Beresford & Bob Mayer, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, DreamLarge, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Michael & Terri Klauber, AG Lafley, Cathy Layton & Pete Russell, Leading To Win, Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation, Michael Saunders & Company, Shumaker, and Jim & Susan Travers.

For more information about The Bay and The Bay Park Conservancy, visit www.thebaysarasota.org, or contact Julia Groom at julia@dreamlarge.org or 941-786-8732.