ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – The City of St. Petersburg celebrated the Pier’s 5th birthday this weekend with a packed fall festival and a high-tech light show. The milestone event was originally set for “727 Day” in July, but storms forced the city to reschedule.
Thousands of families flocked to the waterfront to mark the occasion. The festival included live music, bounce houses, face painting, and local food vendors, all free for the community.
The backstory:
The current pier opened in July 2020, transforming a $90 million idea into a downtown destination. It launched in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, famously hosting a socially distanced World Series watch party for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Since then, it’s become a hub for concerts, fitness classes, seasonal events, even a Halloween dog parade planned for next weekend.
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What they’re saying:
Ferdian Jap, a partner at Pier Events, reflected on how the pier has evolved through the years, from the old Million Dollar Pier to today’s landmark. “I’m getting emotional to talk about it,” he said. “It’s to bring people out and it’s a free community event that anybody could come and gather and hang out with their neighbors.”
Drone pilot Yosef Dandis explained how the 1,000 drones were choreographed using GPS and sensors to create a 1,000-foot-wide story in the sky. “They all have a mission, as we say. So they’re going up into a pre-designed motion,” he said.
“You’ll see the story of St. Pete, the Dali Museum, the art, the sports,” Jap said. The finale featured a birthday cake with five candles, as a pelican figure swooped in to blow them out.
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The Source: This story is based on reporting from FOX 13’s Jennifer Kveglis at the St. Pete Pier’s fifth anniversary celebration.