Welcome back, everyone. Shout out to Kiki, Jennifer, Austin, Michelle, Scott, and everyone who came by our booth to say hi at St. Pete Pride this weekend! I loved meeting y’all!

Today’s holiday weekend newsletter is stuffed to the gills, so let’s dive right in!

The Fourth lands on a Saturday this year (and it's America's 250th) so the whole bay is going bigger than usual. Here's where to catch fireworks and festivities around St. Pete and the beaches. Nearly every show goes up around 9pm, so you can realistically do dinner somewhere and still make it to a launch.

Also, there were so many links for each event that the email was too large to send, so I published the 2026 Fourth of July Guide on the website. That has links to each of the events so you can find more details if you’d like!

The Fourth at the St. Pete Pier — Sat, July 4, 4–10 p.m. | Spa Beach Park

The big one. The city's America 250 celebration runs all afternoon and evening, and the city says the fireworks will be the biggest they've ever done. They’ll be launched at 9 p.m. from two barges flanking the Pier and visible up and down the downtown waterfront. The lineup: water-ski performers from Sarasota's Ski-A-Rees on the bay, live music from The Actual Bank Robbers on the main stage, food trucks and vendors throughout the Pier District, and DJs between sets. The main event is free; reserved waterfront seats (with a commemorative America 250 light-up bracelet) are available here.

4th of July Pops Spectacular — July 4, 6–8 p.m. | Mahaffey Theater
St. Pete Opera plays patriotic classics for the 250th. End the night by walking over to the Pier for the fireworks.

Stars & Stripes Block Party — July 4, 12–5 p.m. | Grand Central District
An official America 250 family-friendly block party with local vendors, entertainment, and patriotic activities in one of the city's most vibrant districts.

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Lexington SC — July 4, 6 p.m. | Al Lang Stadium
Soccer on the waterfront with $1 hot dogs and $3 soda/cold beer, a short walk from the Pier fireworks.

St. Pete Beach — Red, White & BBQ Party + Fireworks — July 4, 5–9 p.m. | Horan Park
A BBQ competition, inflatable obstacle course, dunk tank, games, and a watermelon-eating contest, with fireworks over the water at 9 p.m.

TradeWinds Resort 4th of July Bash — July 4, 12–8 p.m. | 5500 Gulf Blvd
Beach parties, DJs, games, a beachfront cookout, and a 21+ "Red, White & Boozy" party for the grown-ups.

Treasure Island 4th of July Fireworks — July 4, 9 p.m. | Gulf Front Park
Shot straight off the beach — bring a chair or towel and watch them reflect over the Gulf.

Madeira Beach — Red, White & Blue on the Bay — July 4, 5–9 p.m. | ROC Park
Free, family-friendly night along Boca Ciega Bay with live music, food vendors, and a fireworks show over the bay at 9 p.m.

Tierra Verde — Parade + Billy's Stone Crab Weekend — July 3–5 | 1 Collany Rd
The Tierra Verde Parade starts at 9:00 and ends at 10:30 a.m., and Billy's Stone Crab opens early with holiday specials and live music all weekend.

SkyBeach Resort — "Summer Is Calling" Music Festival — July 4–5 | 6800 Sunshine Skyway Ln S
A 48-hour resort takeover with 20+ hours of house music, waterfront views, and wellness programming if you want a different kind of Fourth.

Gulfport 4th of July Celebration + Community Parade — July 4, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. | Tomlinson Park
The day opens with the Spirit of '76 time-capsule ceremony (9 a.m.) and Family Fun Day (10 a.m.–2 p.m.), the beloved Community Parade rolls at 11 a.m., and fireworks launch from Williams Pier at 9 p.m.

Most shows fire around 9 p.m. (Clearwater 9:15, Dunedin ~9:30). Bring chairs or a towel, get there early for parking, leave the pets at home, and keep an eye on the sky. We're in wet season, so check official event pages before you go since a couple of these may become game-time calls. If I hear of any changes, I’ll update the guide!

Happy 250th, St. Pete!

It’s been toasty out there lately, so I wouldn’t blame you if you’ve been looking for some indoor activities to hide from the midday heat. Here's a local hack I keep recommending if you’re looking for an affordable way explore St. Pete museums without piling up admission tickets. Just find one membership that plays nice with others.

I recommend you check out Tampa Bay Watch. Membership to the bayfront nonprofit runs $25 for one person or $50 for a household of up to four, and the Discovery Center on the Pier is worth the visit on its own. As a water lover, not only do I vibe with their mission, but the real magic is the reciprocal partners list, which is pretty bananas for the price.

Members get free admission to the St. Petersburg Museum of History, Sunken Gardens, MOSI, the Florida Holocaust Museum, Great Explorations, Glazer Children's Museum, the James Museum (free in October), and the Museum of Fine Arts (free in July, that’s right now!). On top of that: 50% off Mote, the Florida Aquarium, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the Bishop, FloridaRAMA, Bok Tower Gardens, and the Tampa Bay History Center.

Want to check out what Tampa Bay Watch is all about? Their Discovery Center on the Pier is turning six, and they're celebrating with $6 exhibit tickets all day on July 6. That's touch-tank time, marine-science exhibits, and those unbeatable Pier views for the price of a fancy coffee.

More than 350,000 people have come through since it opened, all in service of the bay-restoration mission Tampa Bay Watch is known for. It's a perfect move for a too-hot (or too-rainy) summer afternoon with the kids.

Do you travel a lot or want to go national with you museum exploration? A lot of art museums belong to the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) network, so a membership many of our museums including the MAACM, Dalí, Museum of History, Imagine Museum, and Florida Holocaust Museum gets you into 1,200+ museums across North America (NARM perks usually don't apply within ~50 miles of your home museum, so it shines when you travel). Science-museum families have the ASTC Passport: same idea for 300+ science centers outside a 90-mile radius.

The move: pick the membership whose home base you'd visit multiple times anyway, then let the reciprocal list do the rest. Pack your ID, call ahead to confirm, and add it to your travel plans.

Guest post by Crista @theburgcoffeeguide

You’ll find a cozy, bohemian vibe inside of SumitrA Expresso Lounge + in Gulfport. Their beverage menu features Moroccan and Mayan influence.

I ordered one of the chocolate elixirs: an iced latte with the Tonantzin drinking chocolate mixed in. Not too bitter, not too sweet. European pastries are available along with other baked goods.

Check out their Instagram page (@sumitra.lounge) to follow along for special events.

Dinner Club is tonight! We’ve got another fully booked event, and I’m so excited to see everyone at the afterparty!

As is the new tradition on Dinner Club Days, I’d like to share a sneak peak of one of the restaurants in tonight’s dinner club. This week, we’re featuring Perry’s Porch, which opened on the Pier in early 2025. You may or may not have already eaten here, but if you’ve walked down the Pier, you’ve definitely seen it!

The restaurant is named after Perry Snell, a prominent early developer here in St. Pete (yes, the same Snell from Snell Isle). The name pays homage to the iconic wraparound porches present on houses in Old Northeast that were inspired by Perry Snell.

Perry’s Porch has been in the rotation for several of our previous Dinner Clubs already, and the feedback has been consistently stellar, with folks loving the food, drinks, and ambiance. The cocktails have been a definite standout, along with the Lemon Tiramisu.

If you don’t want to sit for a full meal, you can also stop by to get drinks to go (including alcohol in designated, Pier-approved cups) and take a stroll down the Pier.

To those of you headed to Perry’s for dinner tonight, enjoy! For everyone else, mark it down on your list of places to try!

Check it out.

🎆 There's no fireworks ban this year, but officials want you to be careful. Consumer fireworks are legal statewide on July 4 (the one day Florida blocks local bans), and the state held off on a holiday ban despite a rough fire season and an "extreme" water shortage, so the Forest Service asks you to light them in a cleared area away from anything dry, keep water handy, skip homemade fireworks, and soak the duds before tossing them. Easiest and most turtle-friendly option: let the pros handle it and catch one of the free shows in our Fourth of July guide.

🏟️ St. Pete's biggest redevelopment call is almost here. Mayor Ken Welch is expected to pick a developer for the roughly 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District (the Tropicana Field site) shortly after the Fourth of July, choosing among four finalists: Foundation Vision Partners, ARK Ellison Horus, The Burg Bid, and a Pinellas County Housing Authority senior-housing plan. His choice still has to clear the Community Benefits Advisory Council and a City Council vote, with a groundbreaking targeted for summer 2027.

🎖️ USF St. Petersburg is building a permanent home for its student veterans. The $7.5 million, 7,500-square-foot Office of Veteran Success breaks ground this summer at 100 5th Ave S (the former Family Studies Center site lost in the 2024 hurricanes) and opens in September 2027, serving the roughly 652 military-connected students who make up about 14% of campus.

Want to spread the word about your business, a project you’re working on, an exciting event, a hiring opportunity, or just want to say hi to 11,000+ neighbors?

DINNER CLUB: July 29 still has seats, but is filling up very fast. Reserve your seat while you can! Especially if you’re a guy 😁. If you applied to be an ambassador, I’ll be reaching out soon to assign some for the upcoming dinner!

HEATHER TEE: Hand designed by my wife and ready to be your new favorite tee. Get it in your size for a flattering fit or order it oversized to rock it as a beach coverup. Get yours.

CATCH OF THE DAY: Adopt Kira the dog or Abbot the cat. See them here.

FLIGHT DEAL: TPA → St. Lucia. $1,288 round trip in November. Might not be the cheapest, but it’s 51% less than the flight will typically run you. We wanted to go here for our honeymoon, but ended up going elsewhere because of flight costs!

‘BURG ABODES: Total package bungalow in Historic Kenwood. $899,900 | 3bd 3ba | 2,198 sqft. Tons of parking and a pool in Kenwood? You’ve gotta let me visit.

LAST WEEK’S SCRAMBLE: Parade

Your contributions go directly towards keeping Sunny St. Pete alive and well so we can have more fun and build a stronger community. I appreciate any and all contributions to keep this locally-owned newsletter (and passion project of mine) going strong!

Team USA made the knockout round, and the watch party is back (and even bigger). The USA Soccer Watch Party Series returns to Al Lang Stadium tonight (yes, the same day this lands in your inbox) for USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Round of 32, with an even larger screen, two extra TV trucks, and room for the crowd.

3,000+ fans packed the place for the group-stage opener, so expect noise. Tickets are $10, with $5 beers and seltzers all night, Colony Grill pizza, Michelob Ultra giveaways, and a pre-match pep rally from the American Outlaws St. Pete chapter. Hosted by the Tampa Bay Rowdies and PMB Events. Grab tickets — they go fast.

Voodoo Brewing Co. Trivia Night | Voodoo Brewing Co. | Jul 1, 7pm | Free
Weekly Wednesday trivia night with DJ Robin

St. Pete Night Market at Ferg's | Ferg's Sports Bar | Jul 1, 6pm | Free
Night market with local vendors

Trivia Wednesdays at The Bier Boutique | The Bier Boutique | Jul 1, 7-10pm | Free
Weekly trivia with craft beer

USA Watch Party at Jannus Live | Jannus Live | Jul 1, 7pm | Free
Gold Cup outdoor watch party

Free Pop-Up Life Jacket Giveaway | Willis S. Johns Recreation Center | Jul 1, 4-6pm | Free
Free child life jackets giveaway

4th of July Weekend at FloridaRAMA | FloridaRAMA | Jul 2-4, | $50 🎟️
America 250 themed RAMA adventure for 2

Art After Dark at The Dali | The Dali | Jul 2, 5-8pm | Prices vary 🎟️
After-hours museum night with drinks

Art After Dark Summer Sessions at the MFA | Museum of Fine Arts | Jul 2, 5-8pm | Free–$16 🎟️
After-hours art with oysters & beer

One by One Opening at FloridaRAMA Gallery | FloridaRAMA Gallery, 2606 Fairfield Ave S, St. Petersburg | Jul 3, 7–10pm | Free 🎟️
Art opening: 72 artists, 144 works

The Art of Coffee Tasting at Imagine Museum | Imagine Museum | Jul 3, 10-11am | $7-10 🎟️
Guided coffee tasting at museum

Check out newsletter’s lead story for a huge list of Fourth of July Events.

Red, White, & Blue Hike at Boyd Hill | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | Jul 4, 10-11:30am | $5 🎟️
Patriotic ranger-led nature hike

Get Artsy: Tie Dye at Boyd Hill | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve | Jul 4, 1-2:30pm | $5 🎟️
Tie dye tote bag workshop

St. Pete Indie Flea (Summer Series) | The Coliseum | Jul 5, 12-4pm | Free
Local makers & vintage market

The Hangover Market | Foodie Labs | Jul 5, 10am-2pm | Free
Local maker & food vendor market

Want to see the full list of events this weekend and in the coming months? Plus, local shows and concerts coming up? Peep the new Event Calendar page.

Looking for details on markets this week?

Thanks so much for reading! As always, you can reply directly to this email with any feedback.

Stay Sunny,
Josh