Spring Bayou's Holiday Season Arrives Before Its New Seawall Is Finished

Where do you plan to stand this season when the holiday boat parade finishes on Spring Bayou, when the Christmas Eve luminaries are lit, or when the cross goes into the water on Epiphany? According to the City's last update on October 2, 2026, the deck on the east side of the bayou is closed while crews work on Zone 4 of the Craig Park Seawall Replacement.

The deck isn't the only work in progress. Crews are rebuilding Craig Park's edge in five zones, and only one of them is marked complete. Starting with the December 4 boat parade, every event this season takes place along a bayou edge that's partly new and partly still under construction.

Where the New Edge Stands

The Craig Park Seawall Replacement (Phase 1) covers the waterfront from the Craig Park boat ramp up to and including the observation deck. A $2 million federal grant, secured through Representative Gus Bilirakis, pays for a large share of the cost. The north side of Spring Bayou is set for a later second phase.

The work raises the park's edge. Most of the old sidewalk sat about 2 feet above mean sea level, and the observation deck sat about 3 feet up. The new seawall, sidewalk and deck are being built to 5 feet or more. A short grassy berm, about 2 feet above grade, is going in along the western side of the park, and the plans also call for added protection for the War Memorial.

Here's how far the work had gotten as of the City's October update:

• Zones 1 and 2: still listed as under construction. The seawall cap and grassy berm are done and the sidewalk and boat ramp are open, but drainage pipes are still to be installed, and those spots are marked off.
• Zone 3: marked 100 percent complete on August 19, 2026.
• Zone 4: under construction around the observation deck. The marked area is closed, and the street-level sidewalk stays open.
• Zone 5: panel driving has started, and the marked area is closed.
• Boat ramp, float dock and gangway: open.

The City expects construction to wrap up in spring 2027. It also says the contractor knows which events use parts of Craig Park during the year and is working with the City to keep disruptions to a minimum. The project page says so in these words.

Events @ Craig Park- Events will NOT be affected by any construction activities.

So the events go ahead as planned. What's different this year is where you can stand to watch them.

December 4: The Boat Parade Ends at the Work Zone

Snow Place Like Tarpon Springs runs Friday, December 4, from 5 to 10 p.m. at East Tarpon Avenue and Pinellas Avenue. The City's events calendar lists it as free, with snow slides, Santa, letters to Santa, holiday movies, children's activities, a DJ and Christmas music.

The boat parade runs the same night from 6 to 9 p.m. According to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater's listing, boats start at Tarpon Landing Marina and head down the Anclote River, finishing at Craig Park and Spring Bayou. Last year's parade, in 2025, reached the bayou around 8 p.m., which gives you a rough idea of when the boats arrive.

With the deck closed, the listing's other viewing spots carry more of the crowd this year:

1. Craig Park and Spring Bayou shoreline. You can watch from anywhere along the open shore. The Zone 4 and Zone 5 work areas are closed off.
2. Whitcomb Bayou, which also has open shoreline.
3. Waterfront restaurants: Rusty Bellies Waterfront Grill, Dimitri's on the Water, The Limani, the patio at Tarpon Turtle Waterfront Grill, and Capt'n Jack's Waterfront Grill.
4. Public spaces at the Tarpon Inn and Bayshore RV Park.
5. On the water. Spongeorama Cruise Lines and Odyssey Cruises offer evening cruises and private charters around parade time.

Parking at the marinas and Craig Park is limited. The same listing suggests paying to park in one of the five public lots along Dodecanese Boulevard. If you want your own boat in the lineup, the 2025 rules made entry free with registration, using forms at City Marina and the Recreation Division administrative office.

The boat parade is also the season's first big evening crowd at the bayou since construction began. The boat ramp and float dock, where boats come into the park, have been open through the work so far.

December 12 and Christmas Eve: The Bayou Lit From the Ground

The Tarpon Springs Christmas Parade steps off Saturday, December 12, at 10 a.m. in downtown Tarpon Springs. The City and the Tarpon Springs Chamber of Commerce organize it together. It runs in daylight downtown, so it puts the least strain on the shoreline of any event this month.

Christmas Eve is a different story. Light Up the Bayou depends on the shoreline itself. The tradition began in fall 1986, when students at Sunset Hills Elementary School designed it as a project for the Pinellas County Schools Economics Fair. They sold paper bags carrying a sponsor's name, filled them with sand and lit them around Spring Bayou on Christmas Eve. Since then the Sunset Hills PTA has taken it over, and it has grown to more than 3,000 bags. Because of Tarpon Springs' Greek heritage, the luminaries are called "Lambatha." The City has supplied the sand since the first year. December 24, 2026, will be the display's 41st year.

Here's how to take part this year, according to Light Up the Bayou:

• Cost: $3.50 per bag, with your choice of message, such as "Happy Holidays" or "In Memory Of."
• Online orders: close December 21 at 9 p.m.
• In-person orders: at Spring Bayou on Christmas Eve, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Display: all bags are placed and on display by 6 p.m.
• Volunteers: welcome starting at 10 a.m. on Christmas Eve.
• Rain date: December 30.

The bags line the edge of the bayou, the same strip where crews have been working on the new seawall over the past several months.

January 6: The Crowd That Matters Most for the Deck

The Epiphany celebration at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral is the biggest gathering of the season. The Cathedral describes it as a procession from the Cathedral to Spring Bayou. There, the Archbishop blesses the water and throws the cross, and young men dive in to retrieve it. Every diver has to attend the Epiphany Divine Liturgy and walk in the procession to the bayou and back.

The most recent full schedule is from January 6, 2026. Bay News 9 listed Orthros and Divine Liturgy at 8 a.m., the procession to Spring Bayou around noon, and the water blessing, dove release and cross dive between 1 and 2 p.m. The Glendi followed from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Spanos-Pappas Community Center, 348 N. Pinellas Ave.

That was the 120th celebration. WFLA reported more than 70 divers, and 18-year-old Athos Karistinos of Tarpon Springs came up with the cross. The National Herald put the retrieval at 12:41 p.m. and estimated the crowd at more than 20,000. Tampa Bay Beacons told the story of his retrieval as a family affair.

In 2027, January 6 is a Wednesday, and the City lists the Annual Epiphany Celebration on that date among the Craig Park events it says construction won't affect. The Phase 1 boundary runs right up to and includes the observation deck, and the City expects the project to finish in spring 2027, a few months after the dive.

The Season on One Page

A few downtown events start the season ahead of the Spring Bayou dates. The Early Elf Art Market, a newly named version of a holiday market tradition that goes back more than 30 years, takes place November 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A Wine Walk through Historic Downtown and the Sponge Docks follows on November 28 from 4 to 9 p.m., with tickets listed at $35.

For the latest on which parts of Craig Park are open, the City posts updates on the project page, and you can sign up there for email updates.

If your street is close enough to walk to Spring Bayou for the luminaries, you probably have questions about how the park work and the seasons around the bayou affect what your home is worth. Paradise Home Team works in Tarpon Springs year-round and is happy to give you a clear, no-pressure answer. Get Your Instant Home Valuation whenever you're ready.