What's on in Clearwater, United States through the year

Peak crowds — Snowbird season, Christmas and New Year

• Season

  Snowbird season

  5 Jan – 31 MarWinter-sun seasonCrowdedBook early

  Long-stay visitors from the northern states and Canada fill the condos and the early-evening restaurant tables from January. It is the driest, mildest stretch of the year and priced like it.

Still on: Red tide (1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually)), Christmas and New Year (24 Dec – 1 Jan)

Busy — Snowbird season

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Snowbird season (5 Jan – 31 Mar), Red tide (1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Snowbird season, Spring break

• Season

  Spring break

  1 Mar – 15 AprSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  March into early April is the busiest beach stretch of the year, with staggered university and school breaks running back to back. The causeway out to the beach backs up from mid-morning; the trolley does not.

Still on: Snowbird season (5 Jan – 31 Mar)

Busy — Spring break

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Spring break (1 Mar – 15 Apr)

Busy — Memorial Day weekend

• Nature

  Sea turtle nesting

  1 May – 31 Oct

  Loggerheads nest along the Pinellas beaches from May to the end of October, with hatchlings from midsummer. Beachfront lights are shaded or switched off at night for the duration, which is why the sea front goes dim after dark.

• Season

  Gulf warm enough to swim

  1 May – 15 NovSea warm enough

  The shallow Gulf shelf warms early and holds it late, so the water is comfortable from May into November and bathlike by August. January and February are the two months you would want a wetsuit.

• Holiday

  Memorial Day weekend

  23–25 MayNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Memorial Day, the last Monday of May, opens the summer travel season: over the long weekend campsites and lodging book out, roads are slow, and parking at the most popular spots fills early in the day. Source ↗

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Atlantic hurricane season

  1 Jun – 30 Nov

  Officially June to November, with the dangerous weeks from mid-August to early October. Storm surge is the real risk on this low barrier coast, as Helene and Milton showed in 2024, and evacuation orders come by zone. Source ↗

Still on: Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Gulf warm enough to swim (1 May – 15 Nov)

Peak crowds — Independence Day, Summer break in United States

• Holiday

  Independence Day

  3–5 JulNational holidayCrowdedClosures

  The Fourth of July is a federal holiday: banks and government offices close, fireworks draw large crowds to parks and waterfronts after dark, and roads and flights are busy over the long weekend. Claim a viewing spot early. Source ↗

Still on: Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Gulf warm enough to swim (1 May – 15 Nov), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Red tide

  1 Aug – 28 Feb · usually

  Blooms drift in most often from late summer into winter, killing fish and putting an irritant in the air that makes the beach unpleasant within minutes. It is patchy and moves with the wind, so the county posts beach-by-beach status daily. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Labor Day weekend

  5–7 SepNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Labor Day, the first Monday of September, is the last big getaway of summer: the long weekend books out campsites and lodging and fills parking early, and families thin out quickly once it has passed. Source ↗

Still on: Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Gulf warm enough to swim (1 May – 15 Nov), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov)

Peak crowds — Labor Day weekend, Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Gulf warm enough to swim (1 May – 15 Nov), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Red tide (1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually)), Labor Day weekend (5–7 Sep)

Busy — Clearwater Jazz Holiday

• Festival

  Clearwater Jazz Holiday

  15–18 OctMusic festivalCrowded

  Four days in the rebuilt Coachman Park on the waterfront in the middle of October, mixing ticketed headliners with free stages. It marks the end of the hurricane-season lull and the start of the good months. Source ↗

Still on: Sea turtle nesting (1 May – 31 Oct), Gulf warm enough to swim (1 May – 15 Nov), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Red tide (1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Gulf warm enough to swim (1 May – 15 Nov), Atlantic hurricane season (1 Jun – 30 Nov), Red tide (1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresCrowded

  Christmas Day and New Year's Day are federal holidays: on 25 December most shops, museums and many restaurants close, and airports stay busy through the week between as families travel. New Year's Eve fills bars and restaurants, many at set-menu prices. Source ↗

Still on: Red tide (1 Aug – 28 Feb (usually))