Sunsets at Pier 60: A Host Guide to Clearwater Beach’s Nightly Festival

The short version

Every night, weather permitting, the stretch of sand around Pier 60 turns into a free open air festival. It runs year round and daily, roughly two hours before sunset to two hours after, with 30 plus local artisan and craft vendors plus street performers, all set against the main event of the sky going orange over the Gulf (Sunsets at Pier 60, check current). It is free to walk in and free to browse.

Our two Avalon condos sit about 3.5 miles inland, a 10 to 15 minute drive from the beach, so getting to Pier 60 for us is a short drive and a park, not a walk. Below is how the festival works and two practical things worth sorting before you go: parking and timing.

What it is

Sunsets at Pier 60 is a daily craft market and street performer festival on the beach beside the pier, not a ticketed event and not a once a week thing. The draw is a combination of three things happening at once: a walkable market of artisan stalls, buskers and performers working the crowd, and the sunset itself over the water. It runs year round and daily, weather permitting (Sunsets at Pier 60, check current).

A few honest notes. It is outdoors and it is free, so it draws a crowd on clear evenings, especially in the busy season. Individual vendors and performers rotate, so no two nights are identical. And because the whole thing is anchored to sunset, the start and end times move through the year.

When to go

The single most useful thing to understand: the schedule is tied to the sun, not the clock. The festival runs about two hours before sunset to about two hours after, so in high summer that lands roughly 6pm to 10pm, and in winter it shifts earlier as the sun sets earlier (Sunsets at Pier 60, check current). Always check the current times before you drive over, because they shift with the season and can change for weather or events.

Clearwater Beach was named the number one beach in the US by Tripadvisor travelers in 2018 and 2019, and ranked number one in Florida in the 2026 awards (Fox 13). To actually see the sun hit the horizon you want to be on the sand before it goes down, not still looking for parking. Give yourself time to spare before sunset so you can park, walk in, browse a few stalls, and claim a spot facing the water.

The essentials at a glance

All times and details are date sensitive; confirm on the official festival page before you go.

How to do it from Avalon

Our Avalon complex is a gated community about 3.5 miles from Clearwater Beach, which is a 10 to 15 minute drive. So the plan from either of our two Avalon condos is straightforward: drive over, park, and walk in.

Parking. The festival is at Pier 60, and there is a cluster of public beach lots right there, including the Pier 60 lot and others nearby such as the lot on Avalon Street. You pay at pay by plate kiosks or through ParkMobile or pay by text (Visit St. Pete Clearwater beach parking, check current). Beach parking is limited and popular evenings get busy, so it is worth arriving early or being ready to use a lot a short walk from the pier. The full driving and parking playbook is in our getting to the beach guide.

The trolley option. Once you are at the coast, the Jolley Trolley runs the beach route about every 30 minutes for $2.25 one way, $1.10 reduced, and free for children eight and under; it runs seven days a week, later on Friday and Saturday nights (fares and routes, check current). If you would rather not move your car once you are down there, or you are staying for dinner and a drink, parking once and hopping the trolley along the beach is the easy call.

One access note. Our Oasis Dream apartment is on the third floor with stairs and no elevator, so if stairs or gear are a concern, tell us before you book and we will help you plan.

Make an evening of it

The sunset market pairs naturally with dinner on the beach. Clearwater Beach has long running landmarks like Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, a beachfront original since 1981 known for its grouper sandwich, and Crabby’s Beachside. You can eat before or after the sunset, whichever suits your evening.

If you have a full day at the beach ahead of the sunset, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a short causeway away on Island Estates, open 10am to 5pm daily (admission about $41.95 adult, $32.95 child 3 to 11, $39.95 senior, check current). More ideas for filling the daytime are in our things to do near Avalon guide.

One weather caveat worth planning around: the festival runs weather permitting, and Gulf storms are common in summer afternoons, with Atlantic hurricane season running June 1 to November 30 (NOAA). A passing afternoon storm often clears in time for a clean sunset, but check the sky before you commit to the drive.

Frequently asked questions

More on planning your stay: our guide to where to stay in Clearwater Beach, our things to do near Avalon, and our two Avalon condos, Oasis Dream Vacations and Blue Ocean.