The Bay Turns Four as the Park Grows Toward Van Wezel Way

The Bay is marking four years with more than 70 free events from October 1 through November 1, 2026. The Bay Park Conservancy counts over 1.2 million visits since the park opened in October 2022. The party lands at a turning point. For most of those four years, The Bay meant one stretch of shoreline with mangroves and a sunset spot. Now most of what is opening, under construction or coming next sits on the other side of the site, along Van Wezel Way, Boulevard of the Arts and the Centennial Park boat basin. So this October is the first anniversary where you can spend an afternoon on the park's newer side as well as its original one.

The Ten Acres That Built the Habit

Phase 1 opened its first 10 acres in October 2022. It is still the only finished phase of the 53-acre plan. Its best-known features are the Mangrove Bayou Walkway, the ADA-accessible kayak launch and the Sunset Deck.

That shoreline also held up when it mattered. The park stayed open through Hurricane Milton. The Conservancy put the damage at roughly $400,000 to $500,000 and had programming running again within 24 hours. In its May 2026 update, the Conservancy said the western Phase 1 shoreline took little storm damage compared with the man-made waterfront just north of it. That result explains the shape of the rest of the plan. Phase 2 keeps converting about a mile of bayfront into living, resilient shoreline, using the same approach that got through Milton.

Every week, the free schedule still runs on Phase 1 ground. October's calendar lists these regulars:

• Monday: Mat Pilates at 6 p.m.
• Tuesday and Thursday: The Y's Primetime+ at 7:30 a.m.
• Tuesday and Saturday: Bootcamp at 6 p.m. Tuesday and 8 a.m. Saturday
• Wednesday: Tai Chi and Qigong at 8 a.m.
• Thursday and Saturday: Namaste yoga at 6 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. Saturday
• Friday and Saturday mornings: Ride & Paddle guided kayak tours
• Sunday: concerts at 6 p.m.

The Conservancy lists its fitness classes, concerts, dance, movies and kayak tours as free. Its official calendar is the place to check for registration details or a canceled session.

The Newer Side, Along Van Wezel Way

The biggest recent change came in November 2025, when the City of Sarasota and the Conservancy opened the rehabilitated Chidsey Library and a 1,000-foot Promenade. The Promenade belongs to Phase 2's Cultural District. It is a tree-lined walk that ties together the historic buildings along the park's front edge. The Chidsey building now serves as the Conservancy's headquarters. The city still owns it and has handed management to the Conservancy. It is an office, so don't expect a café or visitor center inside.

Farther along, new floating day docks on the south side of the Centennial Park boat basin are open to the public. For now they are free and first-come, first-served, with a five-hour limit. If you keep a boat, you can now come to The Bay by water and tie up for an afternoon.

The next piece is The Plaza, a new town square on Van Wezel Way with a large shade structure and space for gatherings and events. The Conservancy's May 2026 schedule targets October 2026. As of the Conservancy's FAQ update on September 30, the area between the Municipal Auditorium and Art Center Sarasota was still closed for Plaza construction. October is the target, not a confirmed opening date.

Anniversary Month by Date

The "One Park FOUR All" celebration is built around six signature events. All are free, and each has an RSVP page on Eventbrite.

Before the signature events begin, Opera at The Bay wraps its season on Saturday, October 3, with a screening of Il trovatore. The screening comes out of a partnership with Sarasota Opera and uses a recording from the company's 2026 Winter Festival.

Taste of The Bay

Sarasota-Manatee Originals presents Taste of The Bay. Admission is free, but organizers ask you to RSVP. The event is cashless. Food tickets are sold on site by credit card at five tickets for $5, and most dishes cost three to five tickets. Drinks are sold separately by credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, and food tickets don't cover them.

The 2026 participant roster has a wide range of local restaurants:

• Downtown and Rosemary District names: Michael's on East, Marcel, Mimi Brasserie & Speakeasy, Food & Beer Rosemary District, Lucky 8, Tzeva, Figaro Bistro, Duvals and Jack Dusty at The Ritz-Carlton
• Smoke, soul and comfort: Bricks Smoked Meats, Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen, Mean Deans Local Kitchen, Tamiami Tap and The Breakfast Company
• Steak, seafood and beyond: Masō Steakhouse, 1592 Wood Fired Kitchen & Cocktails, Fins at Sharky's, Crow's Nest, Harry's Continental Kitchens, Cafe Gabbiano, Miguel's, Mi Pueblo, Kolucan, and Tsunami and Hanami

Menus were still marked "coming soon" when the page was last checked. The organizers have also posted a 2026 event map, labeled "Town Square," so look at it before you head over.

Best of The Bay Music Fest

The November 1 closer has one act per hour: The White Crowe Band at 2 p.m., Rosine at 3, The Rockefellers at 4, Speak Easy at 5 and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe at 6. WBTT's set features highlights from MARVIN: The Marvin Gaye Revue, starring Sheldon Rhoden with Raleigh Mosley II and Jazzmin Carson.

Getting In While Phase 2B Is Underway

Growth on the newer side comes with fences, and right now they mostly affect parking. According to the Conservancy's September 30 notice:

1. The west edge of the parking lot just north of the Van Wezel is closed for shoreline work.
2. The Centennial Park parking lot is closed for the same reason.
3. The area between the Municipal Auditorium and the Art Center is closed while The Plaza is built.
4. Free parking is available on the north side of Boulevard of the Arts and in the lots in front of the Van Wezel, the Municipal Auditorium, the Art Center and the Blue Pagoda.
5. Sarasota Orchestra's designated spaces and the south side of Boulevard of the Arts are off-limits.

The Conservancy posts a September 2026 parking and walkway map on that same FAQ page. On a busy event day, open it before you leave.

One more detail can cause confusion. The City of Sarasota has a separate repair project at Bayfront Park, which is a different park from The Bay. Its recovery dashboard lists that work as paused, with work expected to resume in late 2026 and finish in early 2027.

What Comes After the Party

Phase 2 covers 14 acres and costs $65 million. Its Canal District work includes dredging the basin, rebuilding the seawall, adding boat slips and opening the park's first bayfront restaurant. The FAQ says construction "should be completed by the end of 2026." The Conservancy's more detailed May schedule runs later:

• February 2027: Municipal Auditorium renovation and the resilient shoreline
• July 2027: Centennial Park expansion
• September 2027: the first bayfront restaurant
• December 2027: a parking garage
• 2028–2029: Phase 3B

Taken together, the schedule points the same way as the past year. Nearly every upcoming milestone sits along the Cultural District and the boat basin.

The proposed Sarasota Performing Arts Center is the longest-range item on the list, placed at 2030–2033 in the same timeline. The revised "Concept 2.0" would put a 2,200-seat main hall and a 250- to 300-seat flex theater space south of the 10th Street boat basin. Your Observer reported in March 2026 that the hall's estimated cost was $260 million to $295 million, not counting parking. The funding plan has not been settled. The Van Wezel reopened on January 5, 2025, after repairs from storm-surge flooding. City plans describe it as staying in use as part of a broader cultural campus.

"This anniversary celebrates how far One Park for All has come," says AG Lafley, founding CEO of The Bay Park Conservancy, "and the possibilities still ahead as more of the 53-acre vision is realized."

If friends or family are visiting and you want a guide to the bayfront, or if you're planning a move and want to know how The Bay fits into daily life downtown, Celine Charleson is happy to walk the Promenade and talk it through with you. Let's Connect.