The Bay Park's Free 5-Day First Anniversary Celebration Begins Wednesday, October 18

The five-day celebration offers more than 30 FREE events – something for everyone to enjoy – including family fun activities like Boo! at The Bay Halloween, headlining musical acts by Journey former lead vocalist Steve Augeri and Sarasota’s own Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, food and cultural festivals, a one-year community celebration party, and more!

SARASOTA, Fla. – October 12, 2023 – 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.

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 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.

The first 10-acre phase of the park opened in October 2022. Design and development of Phase 2, the next 14-acre $65 million development, began this summer. 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 Turns One! Community Celebration

The Bay Turns One! is a five-day first anniversary celebration as it has been a year since Phase 1 of The Bay Park opened to more than 50,000 people in October 2022. More than 250,000 people have visited the park in its first year.

The celebration runs from October 18-22, and includes more than 30 FREE events – something for everyone to enjoy – including family-fun activities, headlining musical acts by Journey former lead vocalist Steve Augeri and Sarasota’s own Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, food and cultural festivals, a community birthday party, Boo! at The Bay Halloween, dancing, explorations in nature and more!

The celebration is intertwined with some of the best everyday programming at The Bay including guided kayak tours in partnership with Ride & Paddle, fitness classes provided by CoreSRQ, and free yoga taught by the area’s favorite yogis. For more information and to register for various The Bay Turns One! events, visit the website at www.TheBayTurnsOne.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 along Sarasota Bay. The BPC entered a long-term partnership with the City to help fund, develop, operate, maintain and program the park for the benefit of the community now, and for generations to come.