What a fun way to spend your afternoon. I spent about an hour and a half, trolley included,…read moreexploring the festival and shops! I parked at Madeira fundamental and rode the trolley to John's pass. It's free fair and "admission" and perfect for a nice ride. You're dropped off and picked up under the bridge-- super convenient! When walking around it was packed, but definitely busy. I got the crab Rangoon cheese sticks and a strawberry lemonade. Both were good, but not outstanding. The food selection was unfortunately smaller than anticipated, but there was some great live music!

Overall **** This is a well put together street fair that is large enough to spend a few hours at…read morebut small enough to not be too crowded. It is free to enter and there are no gimmicks like buying tickets to get food. The crowd was very chill (mostly 50-70 years old), the music was good as was the shopping and it was a great way to spend 2-3 hours. We did choose to eat at a restaurant instead of the vendors because it was too hot to walk around eating a big meal out of plastic containers. Let's start with the parking. Personally I wouldn't even attempt to drive all the way to the festival, if you go early it is possible but you may have trouble getting back out. Using the free shuttle service was very easy to use. We used the free lot at Madeira Beach Fundamental School. The shuttle seems to run about every 10 minutes from there. It takes about 20 minutes to get from the lot to the festival. There is additional parking at City Hall but I don't suggest that. The trolley's load first at the school so if it's full there you aren't getting on at City Hall. When returning it stops at the school first so the trip is 10 minutes shorter than City Hall. Ok, enough about the parking let's get onto the festival itself. The trolley will drop you off and pick you up at the John's Pass parking at the foot of the bridge. You will walk under the bridge and up Boardwalk Place East. It will be obvious where to go from there or you can follow the music. If you are in need of a mixed drink I suggest you stop at the festival entrance where the Friendly Fisherman Restaurant has an outside bar/tent. The mixed drink lines grow dramatically the further in you go. If you are drinking beer or coolers those are everywhere and at only $4 a bargain. There is a large stage at Boardwalk and Village but if you prefer something quieter, a smaller stage is straight down the end of Boardwalk. Along Village Blvd is where most of the action is with plenty of food and other retail vendors. All the brick and mortar stores were open so there is plenty of shopping to do. As far as the food goes, while it is predominantly seafood there are other options as well. The one downside I felt is they were all selling essentially full meals and they are no bargain. We wanted more of small bites we could walk around with sampling different options. If you choose to go the full meal route there is a large covered eating area in the parking lot at Village Blvd and 129th where there is an even larger stage. This is already long enough so I will wrap it up with a few other highlights; -There is a kids zone on 129th. -Dogs are allowed. -The North end at Bamboo Beach Bar is more adult oriented.

We were in the area and I really wanted to check this out. I love art and this is a really…read moreinteresting medium. If you decide to go, just know that there is no admission fee and you are free to come and enjoy the beach and sculptures, but it will cost you $5 per hour to park plus a small convenience fee and parking is quite limited. I was disappointed to see that though sculptures made with sand from treasure Island. I assume there was a logistical reason, that it seemed a little strange to me. I was also a little surprised by the designs and styles of the sculptures. There were actually very few that had an ocean or sand theme, with many artists choosing things that work personal to them. It was a very interesting experience. Also they leave the statues up, so if you are unable to attend, you can come and see the statues for a few weeks after the event.

I am always blown away by the creativeness and skill set that the sand artists have. This is my…read morefirst time to experience Sanding Ovations. It is located on Teasure Island Beach in front of Sloppy Joes. If you get there early enough there is the beach parking you can use but also plenty of event parking throughout the area that you'd just have to walk a little from. The beach parking is hourly so if you plan on spending some time down in that area walking around or eating after you see the sculptures it may be worth your bang to get into one of the flat rate parking locations. This event had an opening weekend with all the works, vendors, music, etc but was open all week basically 24/7 because it is not in tents or a secured area like the Sugar Sand Festival in Clearwater is. I went during the week early to avoid as many people as I can for my photos. They were also having an encore weekend the following weekend that would also have all the vendors, etc. Each piece you could fully walking around to get different angles for photos and see just how much detail went into these temporary pieces of art. Just beautiful and though a little windy when I went, the weather was perfect. This is a free event but they did have a donation box out that noted to help keep this free, donations are welcomed.

Fun times at the Gulfport Geckofest! This cute town has been through it but it still has its vibe…read moreand quirky charm. Street was filled with vendors selling their goods. I was disappointed there were not more art available but the music was playing and people were mingling. A fun parade went through and everybody was enjoying the day. I love the cute wine bars in this town and hopefully Gulfport will continue to thrive as it rebuilds.

2025 was the 25th anniversary of the Gulfport Geckofest. The fest was held in the Historic…read moreWaterfront District area of town. Parking was free and easy to find throughout town. There were plenty of fun, unique vendors, food, and live entertainment. The fest has a "Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville" type vibe. It's a nice event to check out for a couple hours to eat, drink, and people watch.

We had planned that morning to go down and see the kite show and I am glad we did!…read more It was a gorgeous day for January so we grabbed our chairs, packed a cooler, and met up with some friends for a laid back day looking towards the sky. We could not have asked for a better day! When you walk towards the beach you could see them soaring in the blue sky. We walked out towards the center and sat for a few ours. There were several that were practicing for competitions. ( One of the flyers even described how he maneuvered the dual handle kites). They kind of had that jet fighter flight patterns. The large fluffy ones are my favorite! Floating like clouds above the beach... so relaxing. If you have never been before, I would definitely suggest going next year. I hope the weather is perfect! See u Soon!

Truly kites festival at the beach. The community welcome this venue at a good weather day at winter…read moreseason. The temperature is 70 degrees for mid January was great for this outdoor event. Many kites were flying high in the sky. We can spot it a mile away before we arrive. The event is packed with people at the beach which doesn't feel cramped. The kites can be watched in a distance at the beach. There are many shapes of kites. I like particular the snoopy and Charley Brown. There are at least 3 sting ray giant kites. I also like the performance kites. At least over 50 kites in the air. Not counting those smaller kites.

I love how artsy fartsy St. Pete is! You really can come back over and over and always find…read moresomething new. Whether it is a hand painted local artist drawing on a building, a super detailed mural, or an art gallery somewhere. Every step you take, you will find something. I didn't come for the festival per se, but I came to see what is left from it. Beautiful art on the walls are everywhere especially on Central Ave. and in the back of Central Ave. You can take a paid tour, or just do your own. Everything I see makes me smile, and I wish I could be as artistic drawing wise as I am with coming up with the ideas. I'm happy we can see them here every where we go.

"Leave a Message". Wow!!! These artists leave a message in the City of St. Petersburg. We like to…read morethanks all the sponsors who support the art and make our city beautiful. If you want to graffiti why not make it as an art for people to enjoy. The Shine Mural wall art is something that you should not miss in this city. I am a fan for this type of art that is lasting. You can enjoy the art while you walking the street. This year something to remember is our old city pier will be demolished and a new pier will be build to last for another 100 years. Who know the old pier is the upside down pyramid. There are so many of my favorites in my book while we are visiting. There is one piece of art make good use of corner wall and make it become table edge. There is an awesome shark tooth attack. I have attached the newest painted pieces in the photo that you just need to follow the printed address for locations. Some of the old painting that you may encounter and they are very good. I would say go enjoy yourself if you want to make this a jogging trail.

This is the best thank you guys for it all the place has great air great building colorsread more

Fun and friendly atmosphere at this new smallish Sunday market. Hopefully people will support it…read moreand it will grow. Nice churches in the area and there's music. Festive. Banana pudding, sweet potato pies, Shea butter products, jewelry, hot dogs, drinks. :)