Which end of the Riverwalk should you head to this weekend? From Halloween through the week before Thanksgiving, the answer changes almost every week, and almost never to both ends at once.
Esplanade Park, at 400 SW 2nd Street on the west end of the river, has a run of free, one-day events lined up. Huizenga Park, at 32 E. Las Olas Boulevard on the east end, has spent the fall building a weekly routine around a new restaurant, a coffee trailer and a standing set of classes and markets. Put the two calendars side by side and the overlap is small. The festivals take Saturday afternoons and first Sundays. The east end takes Saturday mornings, Monday evenings and the Sundays in between.
The East End Became a Habit First
Huizenga Park reopened in January after a $15 million redesign that added a fenced dog run, shade trees and climbable hills along the New River, according to the Sun Sentinel. The same report, citing the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, says the park passed 100,000 visitors in its first five months. That foot traffic came from recurring programming such as a Sunday market, sunset yoga and dog-friendly Yappy Hours.
October filled in the last piece. Sweetwaters, at 58 E. Las Olas Blvd. inside the park, opened to the public on October 12. It covers 10,000 square feet and seats 291 between the dining room and a wraparound patio, which looks out on the park on one side and the river on the other. It comes from Specialty Restaurants, the group behind the 54-year-old Rusty Pelican on Key Biscayne, and a few Rusty Pelican "legacy items" carry over: seafood towers, Brussels sprouts and the Pink Brick, a Wagyu flatiron seared tableside with black truffle butter.
Weekday happy hour does the most to make it a regular stop. From 4 to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, several cocktails are half off and beers are $5. On the regular menu, the 12 cocktails run $15 to $17. General manager Ashley Ermus told the Sun Sentinel how she sees the two food options in the park:
"If you want something grab-and-go for a walk in the park, there's Ophelia. But if you're not in a rush, you come to Sweetwaters."
Ophelia is a Miami-based coffee and bakery operation that runs out of an RV trailer near the restaurant and is independent of it. Huizenga Park lists Ophelia's hours as 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The park itself is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the city's parks page.
Here's the weekly schedule that sits on top of all that:
- FTL Free Workout Saturdays, 9 to 10 a.m. The park labels it free and lists October 31, November 7 and November 14 among its dates.
- Sunset Yoga with Las Olas Yoga Studio, Mondays from 6 to 7 p.m., with sessions listed for November 2, 9 and 16.
- Yappy Hour at The Dog Spot with DogDrop, billed as weekly, with a session listed for Thursday, October 29, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Huizenga Park Community Market, presented by Sunnyside Up Market, from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays, November 8 and November 22.
The park's listings mark the Saturday workout as free. Check the park calendar for current details on the others before you go.
The West End Saves Its Dates for Crowds
Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale's season at Esplanade Park runs the other way. Each event happens once, takes over the park for an afternoon or evening, and leaves.
Howlerween opens the run on Saturday, October 31, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's a pet costume event with vendors, food trucks and family activities. It's done by mid-afternoon, which leaves Halloween evening free.
Sunday Jazz Brunch comes back on November 1 and again on December 6, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Riverwalk describes it as a free live jazz series held on the first Sunday of each month.
Light Up Lauderdale "Get Lit" is on Thursday, November 5, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and is free. The Kids Zone runs the whole evening, the lighting ceremony is at 6:30, and the city's holiday events page lists Belles of Harmony performing from 7 to 8:30. The evening starts what Riverwalk calls an annual 10-week celebration of holiday lights along the New River, with live holiday music, kids' crafts and a visit from Santa. Riverwalk is also collecting toys that night with the Suits, Stilettos & Lipstick Foundation for the 25th Annual John & Elizabeth's Toy Drive, which supplies toys to 10,000 Title I elementary students in Broward County Public Schools. The drive takes new, unwrapped toys for children ages 3 to 12. No toy weapons or stuffed animals.
The Second Annual Downtown Day of the Dead fills Saturday, November 7. It's co-hosted by Riverwalk and Damn Good Hospitality, the group behind Revolution Live and Backyard Ft. Lauderdale. The day comes in three parts:
- A festival at Esplanade Park from 3 to 8 p.m.
- A costume stroll that starts at 6 p.m. at SW 2nd Street and the Riverwalk.
- A block party on SW 3rd Avenue at Revolution Live from 5 to 11 p.m.
Riverwalk invites guests to dress in Día de los Muertos attire, from Catrina costumes to face paint, and promises traditional Mexican food and drink along the river.
The Riverwalk International Food Festival wraps up the run on Saturday, November 14, from noon to 4 p.m. It's the sixth annual festival, and admission is free.
How the Two Calendars Fit Together
On the same grid, the two schedules hardly ever claim the same slot:
| Date | East end: Huizenga Park | West end: Esplanade Park |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, Oct 29 | Yappy Hour, 5:30–7:30 p.m. | — |
| Sat, Oct 31 | Free Workout, 9–10 a.m. | Howlerween, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov 1 | — | Sunday Jazz Brunch, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. |
| Mon, Nov 2 | Sunset Yoga, 6–7 p.m. | — |
| Thu, Nov 5 | — | Get Lit, 5:30–8:30 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov 7 | Free Workout, 9–10 a.m. | Day of the Dead, 3–11 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov 8 | Community Market, noon–4 p.m. | — |
| Mon, Nov 9 | Sunset Yoga, 6–7 p.m. | — |
| Sat, Nov 14 | Free Workout, 9–10 a.m. | International Food Festival, noon–4 p.m. |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Sunset Yoga, 6–7 p.m. | — |
| Sun, Nov 22 | Community Market, noon–4 p.m. | — |
The Sundays alternate. The jazz brunch is on the west end on November 1, the market moves east on November 8 and 22, and the brunch returns west on December 6. On Saturdays, the workout at Huizenga wraps up at 10 a.m., an hour before Howlerween starts on October 31, five hours before the Day of the Dead festival on November 7, and two hours before the food festival on November 14. In practice, you can do the morning class at one end and the afternoon festival at the other on all three Saturdays.
The one evening the two compete is a weeknight. Sweetwaters' weekday happy hour ends at 6:30 p.m., the same minute the Get Lit lighting ceremony starts at Esplanade Park on Thursday, November 5. Anyone hoping to catch both should start early at Sweetwaters and leave before the end of happy hour.
Where the Two Ends Meet
The lights that go on November 5 are still up when the season's biggest event uses the river. The 55th Annual Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 12. A preshow for non-motorized vessels starts at 5:30 p.m., and the parade leaves at 6. Winterfest lists the route as starting at Stranahan House, heading east along the New River to the Intracoastal Waterway, then north to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach. The organizers warn that dates can change, so check again closer to the night.
The city's other holiday lightings are spread across different parts of town. Light Up the Galt is on November 12, and Light Up the Beach is at Las Olas Oceanside Park on Thursday, November 19, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with its own lighting ceremony at 6:30.
A home on or near the New River comes with this calendar right outside, and how close a building sits to each end changes what a weekend looks like. If you're weighing a downtown condo or a riverfront home and want to know how a particular address fits into the life of the river, Austin Bergman can walk you through it. Schedule a confidential consultation.
