20 Things to Do in St. Pete and the Beaches This Fall 2026
It's 88 degrees. The leaves are not changing. Here are the 20 things worth leaving the house for, with the dates checked.
About the Author
Carly Majorana
Waterfront and luxury real estate specialist at NextHome Gulf Coast in St. Petersburg, Florida. CLHMS Guild Member. Specializing in the technical side of waterfront: seawalls, boat lifts, bridge clearance, and flood zones. Serving buyers and sellers in St. Pete Beach, Tierra Verde, Treasure Island, St. Petersburg, Bayway Isles, and Pinellas Point.
It's 88 degrees. The leaves are not changing. Fall in St. Pete is a fishing season, a handful of things on the beach, and one pumpkin lot on 4th Street where the hay is itchy.
This is the list from the Instagram post, all 20, with the dates. I checked every one of these against the actual organizer's page this week, because the internet is full of 2024 dates dressed up as new. If you get somewhere and it's closed, it's not this list's fault. Actually it might be. Tell me.
Fourteen of the twenty are on the water or you can watch them from a boat. That's not an accident, that's just where everything good here is.
October
Gallagher's Pumpkin Patch. Open now, 9 to 9 every day, 7401 4th St N. It's a Christmas tree lot with pumpkins in it and a rusted Chevy you put your kid on. Free to walk in. The hay is itchy. Very festive.
Gulfport Night Market. First Friday (October 2, then November 6) and third Saturday, 5 to 9, Beach Blvd. This is what the Art Walk turned into. Ends at the Casino on the bay. Free.
Taste of the Beaches. October 3 to 11. Forty-eight restaurants from Tierra Verde up to Clearwater Beach, $10 a taste. You buy the ticket online at tampabaybeaches.com/taste, then show up and eat the thing. Ten of the restaurants have a dock. Plan accordingly.
Saturday Morning Market is back. October 3, then every Saturday, 9 to 2, Al Lang. Steps from the marina. Go before the boat, not after. You will not go after.
Piertoberfest. Saturday October 3, noon to 10, the Pier. Free to get in. Lederhosen dancers, so know that going in.
Corey Avenue Sunday Market. Back October 4, Sundays 10 to 2, St. Pete Beach. Free.
Stone crab. Traps can go in the water October 5. You can't pull them until the 15th. Five traps per person, claws only, the crab goes back. You need the free FWC trap registration and a saltwater license. This is the most St. Pete thing on the list and nobody else's fall guide has it.
St. Pete Pier Fall Fest. October 10 and 11, Spa Beach. Pumpkin patch, bounce zones, and a kids' rave, which is a real thing they're doing. Free. Last year there was a thousand-drone show over the water for the Pier's fifth birthday. That was a one-time thing. Don't go expecting it.
Island Fest at Honeymoon Island. October 10 and 11, 10 to 3. Paddle demos, guided beach walks, no cheese. Free with park admission. Anchor off the north end and walk in.
Clearwater Jazz Holiday. October 15 to 18, Coachman Park. Sheila E., Larkin Poe, the Wood Brothers on the main stage. The Lower Plaza, the Pier Party stage and Sunset Bluff are free every day, blankets and lawn chairs welcome. Kids under 12 free on the green with an adult ticket.
Red snapper. Open daily through October 22, closed October 5 to 8. After that it's October 23 to 25, October 30 to November 1, every Saturday and Sunday in November and December, Thanksgiving November 26 to 29, Christmas December 25 to 27, and January 1 to 4. FWC added eight days this week.
Gather for Grouper. Thursday October 22, 6 to 9, John's Pass Village. The locals' fish fry the night before the seafood festival. Weeknight, on the water, no crowd yet.
John's Pass Seafood Festival. October 23 to 25, Madeira Beach. Friday noon to 9, Saturday 10 to 9, Sunday 10 to 6. No entry fee. Parking is a nightmare. The city runs a free trolley from City Hall and the rec center. Take it.
Treasure Island Trick-or-Treat Trail. Friday October 23, 6 to 8, TI Community Center on Gulf Blvd. Costume contest at 7. Max is going as a diver, which is just his wetsuit.
Sueños de Dalí. Saturday October 24, 8 to 11, the Dalí. 21 and up, $150 for members and $175 if you're not. This is the best-dressed party in St. Pete and it's on the water. It is also $350 a couple plus a sitter, so.
Halloween on Central. Sunday October 25, noon to 5. Twenty-two blocks of Central Ave from MLK to 31st. Free. Kid trick-or-treating, dog costume contest, easy with a stroller. Max went as a dinosaur the year he was one and made it about four blocks.
November
Old Salt Fall King of the Beach. November 12 to 15, Madeira Beach. Captains' meeting Thursday, community party Friday 5 to 9, tournament fishing Saturday with the weigh-in at ROC Park 4 to 10, awards Sunday. The weigh-in is on the bay side. Watch it from the boat.
St. Pete Run Fest. November 13 to 15. The 10K and 5K are Saturday morning on Bayshore by the Dalí, the kids' race is Saturday at 10:45, the half is Sunday. If you don't run, it's road closures by the marina. Fair warning.
Sanding Ovations. November 19 to 22, then an encore weekend November 28 and 29, Treasure Island Beach behind the Community Center. Free. World-class sand sculptors, fireworks Saturday night, free sand lessons for kids at 11 and 2 on the weekend. It's on our beach. Walk there.
St. Pete Country Fest. November 20 to 22, Vinoy Park. Riley Green, Bailey Zimmerman, Koe Wetzel. Tickets are real money. Or you anchor off the Vinoy basin and hear the whole thing for free, which is what the boats do.
What's not on here
December. The lighted boat parades are the best part of the year and half the dates aren't out yet, so that's its own post when they are. Also not on here: the craft fairs, the wine-and-blues tents, and anything where the main activity is standing in a line. I know they exist. I've stood in them.
FAQ
When does stone crab season open in Florida in 2026?
October 15, and it runs through May 1. Recreational traps can be placed October 5 but not pulled until the 15th. Five traps per person, claws only, and you need FWC's free recreational trap registration.
When is red snapper season open in the Gulf this fall?
For private boats, daily through October 22 (closed October 5 to 8), then October 23 to 25, October 30 to November 1, every Saturday and Sunday in November and December, Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas weekend, and January 1 to 4, 2027.
When is the John's Pass Seafood Festival 2026?
October 23 to 25 in Madeira Beach. Friday noon to 9, Saturday 10 to 9, Sunday 10 to 6. No entry fee, free shuttle from Madeira Beach City Hall and the rec center.
When is Sanding Ovations 2026 on Treasure Island?
November 19 to 22 with an encore weekend November 28 and 29, on the beach at 10400 Gulf Blvd. Free and open to the public.
Which fall events in St. Pete can you get to by boat?
Fourteen of the twenty on this list are on the water or watchable from a boat: Taste of the Beaches (ten dock-and-dine restaurants), the Saturday Morning Market by the marina, Piertoberfest and Pier Fall Fest at the Pier, Island Fest at Honeymoon Island, the free Jazz Holiday stages at Coachman Park, Gather for Grouper and the Seafood Festival at John's Pass, the King of the Beach weigh-in at ROC Park, Sanding Ovations on Treasure Island Beach, Country Fest from the Vinoy basin, Gulfport's night market ending at the Casino, and both fishing seasons.
