Most of what's new between the Clearwater Beach Marina and Opal Sol shares a closing time. Three of the four new kitchens on Beach Walk close at 9 p.m. The nightly festival at Pier 60 wraps up two hours after sunset. Starting this year, New Year's Eve at Pier 60 Park has its fireworks at 9 p.m. and wraps up by 9:30.
So the south end of the beach is being set up for the early evening. If you already walk the stretch from the roundabout to Opal Sol, this fall changes how that walk starts, where it stops and when it's over. The changes go roughly in clock order, starting with a walkway that wasn't open last winter.
Late Afternoon: Beach Walk Now Reaches the Docks
The city's Clearwater Beach Marina replacement project at 25 Causeway Blvd. is almost done. Its timeline puts substantial completion in October 2026. The city blames the delay on Hurricanes Helene and Milton, slow material deliveries and the electrical work that followed.
For anyone on foot, the part that matters is Marina Walk. The design extends Beach Walk with shade and seating, and it puts kiosks near the main dock entrances. The Tampa Bay Beacons reported in mid-September that the city sees Marina Walk as an extension of Beach Walk, with shaded seating, landscaping and walkways that connect the marina, its businesses and the beach attractions. The same report put the project at roughly $46 million. It keeps about 165 boat slips and adds more than 1,300 linear feet of new, raised seawall.
The higher seawall changes the waterfront you walk past. The fixed docks and gangway platforms sit 15 to 24 inches higher than before, and the new bulkhead cap is 15 to 18 inches higher. The city says the extra height allows for rising water levels. The slip count and slip mix stay the same.
The walk also has a new landmark. "Ketch" is a mosaic sculpture by Nevada artist Eileen Gay, and it was scheduled to be unveiled along Marina Walk on Sept. 24. In the Beacons, Gay described what she wanted it to show:
"My vision for 'Ketch' was to create a sculptural mosaic to celebrate the Clearwater Beach Marina location while also including imagery of Clearwater's iconic dolphin inhabitants as you might see them either from the deck of a boat or as a diver with them underwater."
The sculpture, the shade and the seating are all built for daylight and the hour before sunset. That's when the tour boats are coming back to their new slips on Coronado Drive, and it's when the early part of the evening begins.
Sunset to 9 p.m.: Where the New Kitchens Set Their Clocks
Head north from the marina along Beach Walk and the new places to eat run on similar hours. Here's what's open now or due before the holidays, with hours as published:
- Beach Market at Opal Sol, 400 Coronado Drive: smoothies, coffee, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and salads, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Float Malt Shop & Creamery at Opal Sol: shakes, ice cream and sundaes, daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Lolita's Coastal Cantina at Opal Sol: street tacos, Grouper a la Veracruzana, and tequila and mezcal menus, daily from 11 a.m. to midnight.
- Squiki Tiki with Dr. BBQ on Beach Walk in front of Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach: barbecue and tiki cocktails, planned for 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
The Tampa Bay Times reported in September that Opal Sol had opened all three concepts to the public. With its sister property, Opal Sands, the resort pair now has 10 places to eat. Of the four places above, only Lolita's stays open past 9. The rest of the list closes in that same hour.
Squiki Tiki comes from celebrity pitmaster Ray Lampe, known as Dr. BBQ. The Tampa Bay Times reported in October that the menu will include a burnt ends bao bun, smoked shrimp summer rolls, St. Louis-style ribs and a pulled pork sandwich. The space is planned with bamboo accents, thatched roofing, lounge seating and string lights. According to the Times, Lampe said in the release that he hopes "guests and locals alike can relax, unwind and escape to an island oasis at Squiki Tiki." The Times article, citing that release, gives December as the opening month. The hotel's dining page says "Coming This November." If you'd like to try it sooner, the Times reported a preview at the Savor St. Pete food and wine festival on Nov. 7 and 8.
The oldest fixture at this end of the beach keeps the same kind of hours. Sunsets at Pier 60 runs year-round, weather permitting, from two hours before sunset to two hours after. Because the schedule follows the sun, the festival ends earlier as the days get shorter through December. The 6 to 10 p.m. hours on its site are labeled as summer hours, so check the site before heading out on a winter evening.
9 p.m.: New Year's Eve Moves Up Three Hours
New Year's Eve shows how far the south end has moved toward the early evening. Sunsets at Pier 60 Festival and the city are launching Sunset to Sparkle on Thursday, Dec. 31, at Pier 60 Park. It runs from 3 to 9:30 p.m., with live entertainment, local artisans, street performers, amusement attractions and a fireworks finale over the beach at 9 p.m.
On the city's event page, Lisa Chandler of Sunsets at Pier 60 Festival said the idea is to celebrate "the final sunset of the year and sparkle into the next one." When the event was announced in August, Tampa Bay 28 covered it as a free, family-focused party. The nonprofit has offered free entertainment on Clearwater Beach for more than 30 years. It also produces the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival, which returns March 26 through April 11, 2027.
The schedule fits the rest of the south end. The festival opens in daylight, carries on through sunset and ends at 9:30, the same hour Beach Market, Float and Squiki Tiki close on a regular night. The city says more entertainment and event details will be announced in the coming months.
Midnight: The Sand Key Show Has Its Own Timing
For years, New Year's Eve at Clearwater Beach meant fireworks at midnight. The Light It Up Clearwater site from Amplify Clearwater still describes that show. It says fireworks launch from the northernmost part of Sand Key Park, the park itself is closed to the public that night, and the best views are from the southern part of Clearwater Beach. The city's own listing for that event shows Dec. 31, 2025, as its most recent date.
As of this writing, Light It Up's site hasn't posted a date for 2026. If the midnight show goes ahead, the south end could have two fireworks shows on one night, three hours apart. Both would be best seen from the same stretch of sand. Check Light It Up's site closer to Dec. 31 before planning around a midnight show.
What's Still Unfinished at the Roundabout
Some of this stretch is still under construction heading into the holidays. The city's project page says the fishing fleet and dinner boats are still in temporary spots along the floating docks and the new fuel dock isn't working yet. A separate city marina page says a temporary fuel dock is being installed and no transient or day docks are available. The remaining work includes handrails, framing, utilities and fuel-dock connections.
At the Sept. 9 Marine Advisory Board meeting, Kelly Petrich, engineering division manager for Clearwater Public Works, said the work still included a fuel line and electrical conduit on Dock A, plus two catwalk extensions for the Queen Fleet and Double Eagle vessels. That's according to a Citizen Portal summary of the meeting.
At Pier 60 Park, sidewalk repairs have closed parts of the sidewalk. The city says the pier, beach and park are still open, but it hasn't posted an end date. At Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, a pool renovation is scheduled from early November to early January 2027. The Times reported that Squiki Tiki's opening is timed with a property-wide refresh at the hotel this fall.
Here are the dates to know at the south end through the end of the year:
- Late October or early November: marina ribbon cutting, the timing city staff gave the Marine Advisory Board in September.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Make a Difference Fishing Tournament at Pier 60. That weekend, Nov. 7 and 8, Squiki Tiki also previews at Savor St. Pete.
- November or December: Squiki Tiki opens on Beach Walk. The hotel says November and the Times reported December.
- Thursday, Dec. 31, 3 to 9:30 p.m.: Sunset to Sparkle at Pier 60 Park, with fireworks at 9 p.m.
If you live near the south end of Clearwater Beach and are thinking about what these changes mean for your home's value, or you want to be closer to Marina Walk and Pier 60, Maria and Team Azuaje can help you weigh it. Schedule a Consultation with Maria.
