The Bay Turns Four. For the Next Year, the Park Changes Through Its Calendar

The 1,000-foot North Tamiami Trail Promenade opened late last year alongside the rehabilitated Chidsey Library. It runs from the Blue Pagoda past the Chidsey to Municipal Auditorium, a walking link the City of Sarasota described when both projects opened in November 2025. The stretch between the Auditorium and the library is reserved for The Plaza. That is the new town square along Van Wezel Way, built around a large shade structure, and it was supposed to open this month.

It won't. The rest of The Bay's fourth-anniversary month is still going strong, though. The "One Park FOUR All" celebration started October 1 and runs through November 1 with more than 70 free events, and its two biggest ones are still ahead. The next built piece of the park is months away. What changes between now and then is the programming, along with a few waterfront upgrades that have already opened.

The Plaza Moved From This October to Next Summer

In May, the Bay Park Conservancy published a timeline with approximate completion dates for the rest of the park. Town Square on Van Wezel Way topped the list for October 2026. The same article announced the name. In April 1964, then-mayor Herschel Hayo dedicated that ground as Plaza de Santo Domingo, after Sarasota's sister city in the Dominican Republic, so the new space would be called simply The Plaza.

Two months later the date slipped. The draft minutes of the Conservancy's July 21 board meeting record that The Plaza is behind schedule because of shade structure construction challenges and will be completed by summer 2027.

Here is how the Conservancy's published timeline compares with the revision, in order:

1. The Plaza / Town Square: listed for October 2026, now expected by summer 2027.
2. Municipal Auditorium renovation and resilient shoreline: listed for February 2027.
3. Centennial Park expansion: listed for July 2027.
4. Restaurant No. 1: listed for September 2027, described as a fall 2027 opening.
5. Parking garage: listed for December 2027.
6. Phase 3B: listed for 2028 to 2029.
7. Sarasota Performing Arts Center: listed for 2030 to 2033.

Only the first item has a published revision. The rest are still the May estimates.

Why the Rest of Phase 3 Waits on November 3

The July minutes also give the money picture. The City and County approved the budget and plans for Phase 3A, the roughly $19 million Centennial Park upgrade. It adds expanded boat launch and trailer parking, new restrooms, better stormwater management, and improved green space and walkways. The County Commission had not yet committed its share of the funding and may wait for the result of the November property tax referendum before deciding.

City Hall is also waiting. Your Observer reported in August that City Manager Karie Friling recommended pausing six projects until after the November election, including The Bay Phase 3 construction and the Sarasota Performing Arts Center. The paper said Phase 3 funding comes from the Bay Park Trust Fund and needs three-way approval from the city, the county and the Bay Park Improvement Board. Commissioners asked Friling to spell out which parts of each project would keep moving.

The referendum is Amendment 3. According to the Florida Division of Elections summary, it would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, lower the annual cap on non-homestead assessment increases from 10% to 5%, and take effect January 1, 2027. The City of Sarasota's property tax page says it needs 60% voter approval on November 3. The city also says the possible effect on The Bay's tax increment financing has not been fully calculated.

The Anniversary Ends With a Preview of 2027

The anniversary announcement on the Conservancy's site quotes Founding CEO AG Lafley:

"The best measure of The Bay is how people use it."

The Bay's announcement puts that use at more than 1.2 million visits since the park opened in October 2022.

On Sunday, October 25, Taste of The Bay runs from noon to 3 p.m. in The Oval Parking Lot at 1055 Blvd of the Arts. Sarasota-Manatee Originals presents it, and Kettle of Fish plays live. The event page lists 21 locally owned restaurants:

• 1592 Wood Fired Kitchen & Cocktails, The Breakfast Company, Cafe Gabbiano, Crow's Nest, Duvals, Figaro Bistro, Fins at Sharky's
• Food + Beer Rosemary District, Hanami & Tsunami, Harry's Continental Kitchens, Lucky 8, Marcel DW, Masō Steakhouse
• Mean Deans Local Kitchen, Michael's on East, Miguels Restaurant, Mimi Brasserie & Speakeasy, Mi Pueblo, Rufa, Tamiami Tap, Tzeva

One name connects to the timeline above. Fins at Sharky's is run by Venice Pier Group, the family-owned operator picked for The Bay's first permanent restaurant. That building will stand on 12-foot pylons at the former U.S. Coast Guard station at the southwest tip of the boat launch basin. Sweet Sparkman Architecture is designing it with fewer than 220 indoor seats and 100 outdoor seats, and it is planned for fall 2027. At Taste of The Bay you can try that operator's food inside the same park, about a year before the restaurant is scheduled to open.

Entry is free. Food tickets are sold onsite only at 5 for $5, and most dishes cost 3 to 5 tickets. Tickets are nonrefundable and can't be used for drinks. The Bay's page says food tickets and beverages are credit card only, while the Sarasota-Manatee Originals event page also lists Apple Pay and Google Pay for beverages. Bring a card either way.

The following Sunday, November 1, Best of The Bay Music Fest closes the anniversary from 1 to 7 p.m. It's free, with registration on Eventbrite. The posted lineup runs hourly: The White Crowe Band at 2, Rosine at 3, The Rockefellers at 4, Speak Easy at 5 and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe at 6. A regional family calendar splits the acts between the Common Ground Stage and the Oval Stage. Food trucks include Lobstah Daze, Mr. Bulgogi, Nana's Bananas, PopStroke, Simply Greek, Rita's Italian Ice, Toast Thyme and Vesuvio Wood Fired Pizza. The Nest Café will serve drinks and snacks.

The Weekly Park After November 1

Once the anniversary ends, the weekly schedule is the main way the park changes. The Bay's November calendar lists this routine, and all of it is free:

November's yoga instructors include Claudia Baeza, Joanna Jackowska, Dan Bue, Marea Saldarriaga, Kara Saunders, PJ Dietrich and Jessica DuBose. Kayak tours are currently listed for November 6, 7, 13 and 14. Sundays at The Bay concerts are set for November 8, 15, 22 and 29. Cinema at The Bay screens November 5 and November 12. The second date is Top Gun for its 40th anniversary. There's no screening November 19, and the next posted date is December 3. The December calendar doesn't list the weekly fitness classes yet, so check before planning a December morning around one.

Where the Park Has Already Grown

New construction has slowed, but one change on the water has already opened. Floating day docks on the south side of the Centennial Park boat basin, just north of 10th Street, opened to the public earlier this year, according to the Conservancy's February announcement. Docking is free and first-come, first-served, with a five-hour limit, room for boats up to 40 feet, and no overnight stays. If you have a boat, you can tie up at the docks for the Taste of The Bay noon-to-3 window and stay well within the limit.

Centennial Park is also where Phase 3A is planned, with its larger boat launch and trailer parking. The docks are already open there, and the bigger launch depends on the county's funding decision.

Next door, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is in the middle of its own long build. Your Observer reported in August that Selby's downtown Phase 2 finished site work, closed a $41.9 million bond sale, and is now going vertical with a conservatory and Learning Pavilion, with completion forecast for November 2028. The construction zone is fenced off while the rest of the gardens and the bayfront access stay open. Selby's season schedule lists Spooktacular on October 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., which overlaps the first hour of Taste of The Bay. Fall Lunch in the Gardens is October 29. The Orchid Show 2026 with Christian Sampson runs through December 6, and Lights in Bloom opens December 5 and runs to January 2, 2027.

If you want to know what's actually on the bayfront calendar, or what the next phase of The Bay could mean for living downtown, Chiaro REALTORS® follows these timelines closely and is glad to talk them through. While you're here, Get Access To Our Private Listings.