Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Best of luck to those cooking (and stuffing themselves) today. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for reading the Scoop and for all the positive feedback so far! I started the newsletter because I love St. Pete, and I wanted to help bring the community together in real life. So, thank you for being a part of the Scoop, and I look forward to continuing to build on that mission with y’all for a long time to come!

In this edition:

Holiday Biz Bingo is live, running this week through December 31st. Get your bingo card & find participating businesses here.

By popular demand, I’ve completed the guide for Markets in and around St. Pete as the first installment of the Gulfcoast Guides series! It includes 30+ markets from Gulfport, up through St. Pete, and all the way up Pinellas County through to Tarpon Springs. Check it out below!

The final of 24 panels of Tropicana Field’s roof was installed last week, ahead of schedule! Next, focus shifts to repairing the damage to the interior of the park, with a targeted completion of February 2026.

The Rays will resume offering $10 tickets to all home games next season, but also plan to add things like premium seating areas, all-inclusive packages, new sound system, expanded main video board, new video displays behind home plate and by the foul poles, and more. Get tickets.

In what was a sad bit of news for fans of St. Pete Beach’s funky, old Florida hotel scene, the Postcard Inn announced earlier this month that it would permanently close. It has been vacant sine being damaged in the back-to-back hurricanes last year.

I have fond memories of local vacations at the PCI, opening the sliding door from our room to walk out to the pool and seeing live music at the beach bar.

It will reopen as The Luce, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio hotel. The new hotel will pay homage to the 1950s style, while updating to a more modern design. There will be 200 guest rooms, two restaurants, a beach club, and various event spaces. See the new design.

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 thousands of neighbors?

Blizzard Bazaar - The chillest winter holiday market featuring 50+ vendors, Florida snow, Santa, gift wrapping, food, drinks, and event exclusives. Dec 19, 5-9pm. We’re giving away 20 free tickets to subscribers at the end of the month! Referring the newsletter (using your unique link here) will earn you extra entries for the random drawing of the winners!

Sunny St. Pete Apparel - Shop the Fall collection of St. Pete inspired apparel! 50% of proceeds on purchases from the Crosswalk Collection are donated to St. Pete Pride.

Red and Green Gala - Get your tickets for St. Pete Pride’s dazzling winter wonderland celebration with music, dancing, and open bar. Bonus: we’ll be there with Sunny St. Pete selling merch locally! Dec 4, 6-10pm.

Beer Garden Movie Nights - Back for the holidays with an absolutely classic lineup. Bring a char, a blanket, some snacks, and get cozy on the lawn. Wednesdays at 7pm, free to the public.

Get a jump on your holiday shopping while supporting local businesses at the 15th Annual Shopapalooza festival. The biggest holiday shopping festival in the Southeast, the 2-day event has 350+ local makers, businesses, food vendors, entertainment, and actives for the whole family.

The event is free and open to the public, but if your register for the event (still free), you’ll have a chance to win prizes up to a $500 shopping spree.

The event takes place this weekend, Nov 29-30 from 10am-5pm at the Vinoy Park in DTSP. Shop local!

Enjoy a peek at interesting, unique, and beautiful homes for sale in St. Petersburg.

Curated by local architect, Rachel Neu of Hisel Flynn Architects, a full service firm specializing in modern, sustainable architecture that respects the surrounding neighborhoods.

⬆ Check out this private retreat in Jungle Prada. With an amazing pool, screened patio, outdoor kitchen, and lots of upgrades, this house will have you making the most of our Florida weather.

3bd • 2ba • 2,206 sq ft. • $765,000 • See more

This week’s adoptable pet is Frankie, a 3 year English Bulldog mix from Pet Pal Animal Shelter. He came into the shelter with some injuries, but has now healed up and is ready to share his infectious energy (and his favorite ball) with his new owners. Adopt Frankie.

Events for the holiday weekend ahead!

Coffee Pot Turkey Trot 5K | North Shore Elementary School | Nov 27, 7:45am | $45 🎟️
Family-friendly, timed 5K looping around Coffee Pot Bayou on Thanksgiving morning, benefiting North Shore Elementary PTA.

Thanksgiving Harvest | The Vinoy Resort and Golf Club | Nov 27, 11am-3pm | $155 adult, $65 children 🎟️
Abundant buffet with seafood, holiday favorites, carving station, desserts, live music, and included beverages.

Hannah Berner – None of My Business Tour | Mahaffey Theater | Nov 28, 7-9pm | $56+ 🎟️
Stand-up comedian Hannah Berner, best-selling author and podcast host, brings her relatable humor to the stage.

Holiday Shop & Shuffle | St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club | Nov 28, 7-10pm | Free
Kick off the holiday season with shuffleboard, local gift shopping, and new St. Pete Shuffle merch.

Critical Mass Ride St. Pete | Williams Park | Nov 28, 7pm | Free
Social bicycle ride held monthly to promote fellowship, safety, education, and awareness at a moderate pace.

97th Annual Santa Parade and Tree Lighting | Downtown St. Pete | Nov 29, 6:30pm | Free
St. Pete's annual illuminated Santa Parade and Tree Lighting officially begins the holiday season.

Barre with Freebird Fitness | St. Pete Pier | Nov 29, 8:30-10:00am | Free
Free 45-minute mat barre class, structured for all fitness levels, held every last Saturday of the month.

Taps & Teufels | Green Bench Brewing | Nov 29, 6pm | Free
A traditional Austrian-style Krampuslauf procession featuring Krampus, St. Nicholas, music, and a new Vienna Lager.

Sip, Savor and Swoon: A Night of Wine & Chocolate | Shakolad Chocolate Factory St. Pete | Nov 29, 5:00 - 7:00pm | $35 🎟️
Seated wine tasting features a curated pairing menu of wines and handcrafted chocolates with a lesson on cacao farming.

Shopapalooza Festival | Vinoy Park | Nov 29-30, 10am-5pm | Free
A local community festival featuring 350+ local makers, food, and music in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Sanding Ovations | 10400 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island, FL | Nov 29-30, hours vary | Free
Master sculptors transform sand into art in Treasure Island, featuring a food court, beer garden, marketplace, and fireworks.

For those planners among us, I’ve created a guide for the local events in the current and next month. I’ll be keeping this updated weekly, so if you like to plan for more than the week ahead that I cover in the newsletter, you can use this guide to help you!

I’ll be working on the Happy Hour guide in the coming weeks, so if you have a favorite happy hour we haven’t covered in our roundup for the past few weeks, reply to this email and let us know. Stay tuned for the guide!

15% off order | Wildflower Ice Cream | Show this newsletter at the register!

Up to $250 off staycation | St. Pete/Clearwater | By December 31st, 2025

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

Stay Sunny,
Josh & the St. Pete Scoop Team