"The dune and beach walking path is underway and open." That line sits in a commissioner's column in the October 2026 Surfside Gazette. It also invites anyone who hasn't walked the path yet to go enjoy the views and the sound of the waves. It reads like a minor update. In practice it reconnects the town's fall season, because the Town's events this October and November run along that path's nine blocks. The weekend crowd ends up at the north end.
The path runs 87th Street to 96th Street, the full length of the town. At the south end is Veterans Park, near the middle is the Community Center, and at the north end is the 96th Street beach entrance with 96th Street Park just across the island on Bay Drive. That's where the fall calendar is concentrated.
The season, mapped from north to south
| Date | Event | Where | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturdays and Sundays, Oct. 3 through late May 2027 | 96th St. Surfside Farmers Market | 96th Street beach entrance | 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 10 | Under the Stars Movie Night | Location not yet listed | 7:30 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 11 | Azucar! Hispanic Heritage Month Concert | On the beach | 5 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 16 | Senior Brunch | Per Town calendar | 11 a.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 23 | Spooky Spooktacular | 96th Street Park | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Under the Stars: Space Jam | 96th Street Park, 9580 Bay Dr. | 7 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Veterans Day Ceremony | Veterans Park, 8750 Collins Ave. | 10 a.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Senior Brunch Bunch: Bingo | Community Center, 9301 Collins Ave. | 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. |
Four of these happen at 96th Street, and the market repeats twice a week for eight months. Every other date is a one-time event. Over a full season, the north end gets far more foot traffic than anywhere else on the path.
The path came back after a summer of closures
The path being open is news because it wasn't a given for most of the summer. The Town's dune restoration notice set the start date for Monday, May 11, 2026. It projected substantial completion in about 90 days and final completion in about 120, with a target date of Sept. 8. The scope included raising and restoring the existing dunes, planting native dune vegetation, and maintaining and improving the pedestrian walking path. Work started at the beach access crossing and continued through the section built earlier between 90th and 92nd Streets, following guidance from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
The July 16 Town Manager report gives the mid-project status. Kimley-Horn designed the resiliency and beautification improvements. Dickerson Construction had finished most of the clearing and grubbing along the dune pathway and had started bringing in sand from an approved quarry to rebuild the dune crest. The contractor was also installing what the report calls the "Surfside mix," moving from north to south.
The same report shows how heavily the path is used. The contractor asked to close the walking path temporarily because so many people were walking on the hardpack that moving materials had become difficult. The Town still hadn't chosen a color for the new concrete benches. The October Gazette's wording is "underway and open," which means walkers are back. It doesn't say the project is finished. Sept. 8 was the projected date in May, and no Town source has yet announced final completion.
The Town has also added amenities at the beach. Commissioner David Weingot's October column says the FY 2027 budget includes improvements to the Community Center's beach chair service: more chairs, longer hours, and cold water. The Community Center at 9301 Collins Avenue sits roughly halfway between Veterans Park and the market.
Why 96th Street ends up with most of the season
The market is the main reason. The 96th St. Surfside Farmers Market opened its season on Saturday, Oct. 3. It runs every Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the 96th Street beach entrance, selling fresh goods, specialty foods, and artisan products. The Town's listing sets it up on the Surfside side of the entrance and names the Tourist Board as sponsor. The January 13, 2026 Town Attorney report includes a farmers market agreement extension with Wavey Group, so the same operating partner appears to be running it for another season. The season runs through late May 2027, so it overlaps every other event on the fall list and continues well past them.
On the bay side of the same street, 96th Street Park has a resodded athletic field, which the Commission lists among this year's accomplishments. The park also hosts the evening events. The Spooky Spooktacular is set for Friday, Oct. 23, at 6 p.m. The November Under the Stars movie at 9580 Bay Drive is Space Jam. It starts at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7, and the Town's flyer promises free popcorn. The Town calendar lists the Oct. 10 movie night for 7:30 p.m. but doesn't yet give the film or the venue.
Commissioner Gerardo Vildostegui's October column describes this time of year as the point when "the weather starts to cool, winter residents start to arrive," and Thanksgiving comes into view. He calls the Spooktacular and Halloween itself two of Surfside's signature celebrations, with Halloween turning the residential streets "into a kids' carnival." The Spooktacular falls eight days before Halloween, on the same block as the weekend market.
The middle and south of the path have different kinds of events
Events away from 96th Street tend to be single dates. The Azucar! Hispanic Heritage Month Concert is a beach concert celebrating Celia Cruz, set for Sunday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m. The Veterans Day ceremony is at 10 a.m. on Nov. 11 at Veterans Park, 8750 Collins Avenue, at the south end of the path.
The Community Center has the date with the closest deadline. The November Senior Brunch Bunch is bingo, on Friday, Nov. 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 9301 Collins Avenue. The flyer lists a $5 fee for residents and $10 for nonresidents. Registration closes Friday, Oct. 9, two days from now and more than a month before the event.
The bay side has a shorter, quieter list
The beach gets the scheduled events, and the bay side gets the slower projects. Flamingo Garden Park is a pocket park at 92nd Street and Bay Drive. In 2025 it was replanted with Florida natives, including beach verbena, Jamaican caper, and American beautyberry, through a Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden grant from the Florida Wildflower Foundation. The October Gazette reports on the Town's "Get to Know the Garden" video series. For the Great Southeast Pollinator Census, someone watched one blooming plant for 15 minutes and counted 138 honeybee landings.
Further along the bay, the Town is surveying its bayfront street ends, the small waterfront parks at the ends of the residential streets, and design work is moving forward. Mayor Shlomo Danzinger's message lists the FY 2027 budget items, including street end park upgrades and a new restroom at the Hawthorne Tot Lot. None of these has a completion date yet. The Gazette's October cover shows paddleboarders and kayakers in Surfside's bay.
December dates haven't been posted
Holiday dates aren't out yet. The Town's signature events page still shows 2025 dates for the Halloween Spooktacular, Veterans Day, and Winter Wonderland. The 2026 Spooktacular and Veterans Day dates have been confirmed in the Gazette and on flyers, but no December 2026 event has been announced so far. The Gazette also notes that meetings and events can change and points readers to TownofSurfsideFL.gov for the current calendar. Until December is posted, the 96th Street market is the only event on the calendar that runs every weekend through the winter.
I keep track of Surfside block by block, from the dune path to Bay Drive, and I'm glad to talk about how this stretch of town is changing season to season. Jennifer Brilliant is always happy to compare notes with neighbors. Let's Connect.
