The Bay Park Announces Second Anniversary Events Resume

October 16, 2024 | Sarasota

The Bay Park announces “Two Terrific Years at The Bay” Second Anniversary Community Celebration will resume this week as originally planned based on thorough clean-up efforts of the park and encouraging community feedback.

“Over the past few days, the community has experienced the unimaginable. Thoughts, care, and support for those who are dealing with loss are the priority,” says AG Lafley, CEO Bay Park Conservancy. “The Bay is an important beloved and resilient gathering place for the community to come together — especially in times like these. One Park for All. The Bay team and partners have worked tirelessly to get the park back open since last Friday. We’ve reached out to the community to understand what they thought the park should offer and 90% wanted The Bay to proceed with the original ‘Two Terrific Years’ program to offer FREE activities and events in the park that provide some ‘normalcy’ during this time.”

Lafley added, “Based on this feedback, we decided to go ahead as planned — to encourage resilience and respite for the community in this blue-and-green oasis known as “The Bay.”

“Two Terrific Years at The Bay” was originally intended to be a month-long celebration offering nearly 70 FREE events that bring the best of The Bay to life and recognize the two-year milestone of the park. The full schedule of events can be found at TwoTerrificYears.org.

While several events were cancelled last week, there are still more than 30 events planned in the park for the remainder of this month to enable the community several opportunities to come together.

The schedule includes free bayfront concerts by headlining musical acts like:

• World-renowned Scottish soul and funk group, Average White Band, with opener Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe “Sistas in the Name of Soul” (Friday, Oct. 18, 7:00-9:30pm).
• The Breakers: A Tribute to Tom Petty performing nostalgic favorites on the eve of what would be Tom Petty’s 74^th birthday (Saturday, Oct. 19, 8:00-9:30pm).

And, other favorites like:

• A Second Anniversary Community Celebration Party celebrating all things TWO — twins, couples, 2-year olds… and the park! (Wednesday, Oct 16, 5:30-7:00pm)… followed by Bollywood at The Bay Dance (6:30-7:30pm).
• Boo! at The Bay Family Halloween event (Friday, Oct 25, 6:00-8:30pm) including a showing of “Despicable Me 4” (7:00-8:30pm) and Sensory-Friendly Boo! for those who prefer a less stimulating environment (5:00-6:00pm).

Note: This year’s Taste of The Bay food festival Presented by Sarasota-Manatee Originals which was originally scheduled for Sunday, October 20 was postponed due to the impact of Hurricane Milton and will be rescheduled in the park at a later date.

The schedule also includes some of the best everyday free programming at The Bay including: guided kayak tours in partnership with Ride & Paddle, fitness classes provided by The Y, yoga led by the area’s favorite yogis, Zumba, dance, movies and music featuring some of the area’s favorite artists.

The Nest Café (operated by Venice Pier Group) is open in the park Wednesday thru Sunday (8:00am-5:00pm, or later, depending on event schedule) and offers a delicious all-day menu, including the foodie-favorite Southwest Breakfast Sandwich, and a variety of beverages.

As always, the park is open and accessible, free and welcoming to everyone every day. Since the park opened in October 2022, nearly 600,000 people have visited this “One Park for All” to enjoy what it uniquely has to offer including more than 10 acres of revitalized greenspace, a tree-shaded Mangrove Bayou Walkway, a larger-than-life Ibis Playground, sprawling Common Ground lawns, restored and preserved mangroves and shorelines, the architecturally stunning Nest Café, The Oval mini-amphitheater with stadium-sized LED screens, an ADA-accessible paddle launch, and spectacular sunset views.

Everyone is encouraged to bring family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and others to come together with others in the community to attend any of the free events offered in the park.

For more information and to register for the various “Two Terrific Years at The Bay” events, visit TwoTerrificYears.org. The community is also invited to subscribe to The Bay newsletter and follow The Bay on Facebook and Instagram.

“Two Terrific Years at The Bay” Second Anniversary Community Celebration is sponsored by generous Friends of The Bay including: Jody Beresford and Bob Mayer, Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, DreamLarge, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Haskell, Ian Black Real Estate, Jon F. Swift Construction, Kimley-Horn, Michael & Terri Klauber, AG Lafley, Cathy Layton & Pete Russell, Leading To Win, Michael Saunders & Company, Observer Media Group, Sarasota Magazine, Felice Schulaner and Dennis Rees, Shumaker, Sweet Sparkman, and Jim and Susan Travers.

For more information about “Two Terrific Years at The Bay,” The Bay and The Bay Park Conservancy, visit TheBaySarasota.org, or contact Julia Groom at julia@dreamlarge.org or 941-786-8732. 

About “Two Terrific Years at The Bay” Second Anniversary Community Celebration

“Two Terrific Years at The Bay” Second Anniversary Community Celebration is a month-long celebration offering nearly 70 FREE events that bring the best of The Bay to life and recognize the two-year milestone of the park since it first opened in October 2022. Since then, nearly 600,000 people have visited the park.

This “One Park for All” celebration offers a bit of “normalcy” for the community following Hurricane Milton and includes something for everyone to enjoy – including headlining musical acts like Average White Band with opener Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe “Sistas in the Name of Soul,” and The Breakers: A Tribute to Tom Petty. It also includes favorites like Boo! at The Bay Family Halloween event, and more!

The month-long celebration is infused with some of the best everyday free programming at The Bay including: guided kayak tours in partnership with Ride & Paddle, fitness classes provided by The Y, yoga led by the area’s favorite yogis, Zumba, dance, movies and music featuring some of the area’s favorite artists. For more information and to register for various events, visit TwoTerrificYears.org.

About The Bay

The Bay is a 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 conserves, 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 and enjoy a wide range of park uses, free programs and events.

Since opening in October 2022, nearly 600,000 people have visited the park. Design and development of Phase 2, the next 14-acre $65 million development, is fully funded and underway with expected completion in 2026. The completed park in total will cost an estimated $175-200 million and will take approximately 8-10 years to complete over four or more phases.

About The Bay Park Conservancy

The Bay Park Conservancy (BPC) is a 501c3 non-profit responsible for designing and implementing the Master Plan approved by the Sarasota City Commission to conserve, preserve, restore and transform 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 and enjoy a wide range of park uses, free programs and events. Designed to be “one park for all,” The BPC entered into a 15-year long-term partnership with the City to help fund, develop, operate, maintain and program The Bay park for the benefit of the community now, and for generations to come.

For more information about The Bay and The Bay Park Conservancy, visit www.thebaysarasota.org, subscribe to The Bay newsletter, and follow The Bay on Facebook and Instagram.