Siesta Key's Holiday Season Runs on Two Saturdays, and One of Them Turns 50
November 12, 2026
November 12, 2026
Why would a holiday 5K on Siesta Beach give a prize for the oldest race shirt, with a separate category for best '70s costume? The answer is in the race's age. The Sandy Claws Beach Run began in 1977, and its December 12 running this year is the 50th. Two weeks before that, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the Siesta Key Chamber's Light Up the Village Holiday Parade comes up Beach Road at dusk. Between them, those two Saturdays set the island's holiday calendar. One is an evening in the Village and the other is a morning on the sand, and everything else this season falls somewhere in the fourteen days in between.
The course is about as simple as a race course gets. A Siesta Sand retrospective describes runners going a mile and a half down the hard-packed shoreline and then back, some in sneakers and some barefoot. Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources puts on a chip-timed 5K sanctioned by the Manasota Track Club and counted in its race series. There's also a one-mile fun run for people who'd rather walk the shoreline, plus a virtual option.
The yearly numbering adds up. Your Observer called the December 12, 2015 race the 39th annual, and described a morning of holiday costumes, cookie decorating, and visits from Santa, Rudolph and the Sandy Claws crab character. Sarasota County's release for last December's race called it the 49th. That makes this year's race the 50th.
It has also kept growing. Ahead of last year's race, organizers told Siesta Sand that more than 750 people had registered for the 2024 race. The anniversary costume categories are built to reward people who've been part of that history:
If there's a faded Sandy Claws shirt in a dresser drawer somewhere on the key, this is the year it gets judged. The race also raises money for something beyond the beach. Proceeds go to Sarasota County's Summer in the Parks Adopt-A-Camper scholarship program.
The race is three weeks away, but the first cutoff is tomorrow. On the official RunSignup page, prices for the 5K and the one-mile go up after 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, November 20. These are the current prices:
| Event | Price through Nov. 20 |
|---|---|
| 5K | $40 |
| 5K, ages 0–17 | $35 |
| One-mile fun run | $25 |
| Virtual 5K | $40 |
The deadline also affects the shirt. If you register by November 20, you're guaranteed the long-sleeve performance shirt and runner goodies. After that, including on race day, shirts and goodies go out only while supplies last. For an anniversary race with a contest for old shirts, that's worth paying attention to. Groups of four can choose the Family 4-Pack option for a 5K discount, and youth groups of 10 or more can call 311 for discount codes.
The season starts at dusk on Saturday, November 28, in the Village. The Siesta Key Chamber's event page has Santa at the Historic Siesta Key Village Gazebo, where Ocean Boulevard, Avenida Messina and Canal Road meet, from 3 to 5 p.m. Photos are free, the first 250 children get a holiday gift bag, and there's a sand dollar craft afterward. Santa's line closes at 4:30 p.m. so he can leave at 5 to join the parade. If you arrive at 4:45, you'll find him later at The Big Tiki Lounge, 5311 Ocean Blvd., after the parade.
The parade steps off at 5:30 p.m. from Beach Road and Avenida del Mare. It heads north on Beach Road, continues onto Ocean Boulevard, and ends in the heart of the Village. Local businesses, organizations and community groups make up the lineup, so the floats come from the island's own storefronts. You can reach the Chamber at 941-349-3800 or [email protected] to confirm where Santa will be before you load up the kids.
Since the parade ends in the Village, you can finish the night with dessert a few doors away. Whit's Frozen Custard opened at 5147 Ocean Blvd. on August 13, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and serves custard, shakes and sundaes. This will be its first holiday parade on Ocean Boulevard.
The parade is two days after Thanksgiving, so for many households it closes out a long weekend that started at a restaurant table. Siesta Sand's Thanksgiving roundup lists these places serving on November 26:
The roundup recommends confirming hours and booking ahead, since holiday schedules can change. The list covers the whole island, from the Village down Midnight Pass Road to the bay side at Turtles, so it's easy to pick a table close to home.
Both Saturdays draw people from the mainland, and this November the two bridges aren't equal. On the North Bridge over Sarasota Bay on Siesta Drive, the Florida Department of Transportation is rehabilitating the drawbridge. Crews work underneath the span Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and no weekend work is scheduled. While mechanical and electrical systems are tested, drivers may wait longer than usual for the bridge to open and close. MyMPO's Traffic Watch suggests using the South Bridge at Stickney Point or allowing extra time. People walking and biking still have access.
If you keep a boat on the bay side, November has its own rules. From November 2 through November 30, the North Bridge makes single-leaf openings from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Overnight openings are limited to four per night. Full daytime openings and evening openings need four hours' notice, and the project is still expected to finish in late 2026. The Stickney Point bridge is part of a separate FDOT project installing pedestrian and bicycle detection systems. Expect occasional sidewalk and lane closures there, including overnight lane closures from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The simplest option skips the car. Sarasota County's Breeze Transit runs the free 77 Siesta Islander between the Village, Siesta Beach, South Village and Turtle Beach from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. On Thanksgiving and New Year's Day it runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on New Year's Eve it runs until 1 a.m. A route pilot that started September 1 added a stop at Ave Milano and Ocean Boulevard. The 10 p.m. weekday end time comfortably covers a 5:30 parade and a stop for custard afterward.
On December 12, the action moves south to Siesta Beach at 948 Beach Road. The park has 950 free parking spaces and opens at 6 a.m. Pick up your packet early if you can. Early pickup is Thursday, December 10, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Molly's/New Balance Sarasota, 1872 Stickney Point Road. Here's how the morning runs:
Virtual participants who miss the Thursday pickup can collect their packets December 14 through 18, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 5883 Hummingbird Avenue.
If you still have energy that evening, Suncoast Charities for Children and Marina Jack hold the free Holiday Boat Parade on Sarasota Bay the same night, with viewing at Bayfront Park and Marina Jack. We covered that part of the bayfront this fall in our guide to The Bay's open half. On the key itself, December 12 is a morning on the beach that has been happening every year since 1977.
If your family has been running Sandy Claws for decades, or you're planning to start this year, the Echo Belser Team would love to see you on the sand. And if this season has you wondering what your own place on the key is worth, you can request your free, instant home valuation whenever you're ready. Explore more of the island on our Siesta Key neighborhood page.
We bring together a mix of integrity, imagination and an inexhaustible work ethic, striving to make each buying and selling experience the best possible.
Get In Touch With Our Team To Learn More
ECHO BELSER TEAM
11215 STATE ROAD 70 E UNIT 105 LAKEWOOD RANCH FL 34202