The first full week of October is when St. Pete Beach stops being quiet. Taste of the Beaches runs nine days across forty eight restaurants from Tierra Verde to Clearwater Beach, the Corey Avenue Art and Craft Festival fills the district for a full weekend, and the season's Friday night concert in Horan Park kicks it all off. Between October 1 and October 9, here is how to work the week like someone who lives here.
Taste of the Beaches Kickoff Concert at Horan Park
Why It Stands Out
Friday, October 2, Big Brother Band plays a free concert at Horan Park beside the Community Center at 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, and the evening doubles as the official kickoff for Taste of the Beaches. The Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber lists the party from six; the band lists its set from seven to nine. St. Pete Beach Fire Rescue works the grill, and the beer and wine sales support local nonprofits.
Best For
Families and neighbors. This is the island's version of a block party, with lawn chairs and blankets on the grass and the Intracoastal behind the stage.
Timing and Planning
Arrive at six with chairs to cover both start times. Parking at the Community Center is free. Taste of the Beaches tickets go on sale at the party, which makes it the easiest place to pick them up before the tasting window opens the next morning.
Taste of the Beaches
Why It Stands Out
Saturday, October 3 through Sunday, October 11, forty eight restaurants from Tierra Verde to Clearwater Beach each serve one signature taste for a ten dollar ticket. On St. Pete Beach alone that includes street tacos with a draft at Mastry's Brewing, conch fritters at Crabby Bill's, ahi tuna nachos with an Aperol spritz at Pete's Gulf Bistro at TradeWinds, firecracker calamari at RumFish Grille, aloha pork sliders at Twisted Tiki, a fish and chips spice bag at Sundrop at The Luce Hotel, and a latte and pastry at Grove Surf and Coffee. Tierra Verde adds tuna poke at Vista at the Top and a seafood sampler at Billy's Stone Crab. A portion of proceeds goes to Habitat for Humanity.
What to Expect
Each restaurant serves its taste during its own hours, so the event runs at your pace over nine days. Tickets are physical and must be picked up before you redeem them: at the Chamber at 6990 Gulf Boulevard on weekdays from ten to three, or at the pickup partners in Indian Rocks Beach and St. Petersburg. Buy online or call 727-360-6957; no refunds.
Insider Tip
Buy five tickets and build two evenings around them. One night on Corey Avenue and Gulf Boulevard on foot, one on Tierra Verde with the sunset. The Chamber publishes an explorer guide and an interactive map at tampabaybeaches.com/taste, and the SunRunner and the Freebee shuttle make the St. Pete Beach stops car free.
Corey Avenue Art and Craft Festival
Why It Stands Out
Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, from ten in the morning until five, the fall edition of the Corey Avenue Art and Craft Festival turns the avenue between Gulf Boulevard and Blind Pass Road into a pedestrian gallery. Now in its thirty second season, it is produced by SIK Promotions for the Corey Area Business Association with handmade only artists in jewelry, pottery, fine art, photography, clothing, and home decor, plus food vendors and nonprofits. Sunday adds a Green Market with plants, handmade soaps, spices, and specialty foods. Free, family friendly, and dogs are welcome.
Best For
Everyone on the island, and relocation clients who want to see the district at its liveliest before deciding whether they could live within walking distance of it.
Timing and Planning
One association page lists Saturday running to seven; the producer's own sheet says five both days, so plan on five. Park free at City Hall at 155 Corey Avenue or the library lot at 365 73rd Avenue, since the avenue itself is closed. The regular Corey Avenue Sunday Market steps aside for the festival this weekend and resumes Sunday, October 11 on its fall hours, ten to two.
Pass-a-Grille's Weekend Art Markets
Why It Stands Out
At the south end of the island, the Suntan Art Center's Art on the Patio sets up on Saturdays from nine to two next to Paradise Grille at 900 Gulf Way, and the Paradise Bazaar of local handcrafted goods is listed on Fridays and Sundays from nine to four. Between them, Friday, October 2, Saturday, October 3, and Sunday, October 4 give Pass-a-Grille a market every day of the festival weekend, a few blocks from the sand.
Best For
Couples and anyone who finds Corey Avenue too busy on festival day. Pass-a-Grille at nine on a Saturday is the quietest hour on the island, and the market is a reason to be there for it.
Neighborhood Angle
These are recurring markets that run on the season and the weather, so check the Suntan Art Center's page before you drive down. Metered parking along Gulf Way fills by mid morning. Paradise Grille opens at seven and stays open until half an hour past sunset, which falls at 7:16 on Saturday, October 3 and a minute earlier each day after.
Event Q&A
Which event is best for families?
The Horan Park concert on October 2 and the Corey Avenue festival on October 3 and 4. Both are free, outdoors, and stroller friendly, and the Green Market on Sunday gives kids something to carry home.
Which event feels most on-brand for a date night?
Taste of the Beaches on Tierra Verde. Tuna poke and a lemon spritz at Vista at the Top, then the seafood sampler at Billy's Stone Crab, with the Bayway sunset in between.
Which event is worth planning ahead for?
Taste of the Beaches, because tickets have to be collected in person before you can use them, and the Chamber office closes at three on weekdays. Everything else is walk up.
Which event is best for someone new to St. Pete Beach?
The festival on Saturday, then a Taste of the Beaches stop on Corey Avenue for dinner. One day covers the district by day and by night.
Is there live music on the beach this week?
Big Brother Band follows its Horan Park show with Ricky T's in Treasure Island on Saturday, October 3 from eight to eleven, and returns to Jimmy B's Beach Bar at 6200 Gulf Boulevard on Saturday, October 10 at nine. Jimmy B's runs live music every day with no cover.
What is coming after the window?
Crabs for a Cure on Corey Avenue on Saturday, October 17, an eighty dollar American Cancer Society benefit, and the John's Pass Seafood Festival in Madeira Beach from October 23 to 25.
