Closing Weekend at The Bay Park’s 10-Day Grand Opening

October 19, 2022 – Sarasota

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