Families enjoy a fun Sarasota evening at Boo! at The Bay

By Ian Swaby
| 12:20 p.m. October 20, 2025

Leisa Wilhelm leads her boyfriend Austin Bronkhorst across the park.

Sarasota
Neighbors

As Robert Banta departed Boo! at The Bay the night of Oct. 18 with his wife Grace Banta, he was among the numerous attendees sporting a clever costume.

With a bowler hat and a large artificial apple hanging in front of his face, he was costumed as the surrealist painting "The Son of Man" by René Magritte.

However, despite the large fruit that was in his field of vision, he still had plans to watch the sunset that evening.

He said since the park was in development, a place to relax and watch the sunset, in addition to enjoying events, was what he had always wanted from the space.

Amid the large turnout for Boo! at The Bay, he said he still hopes even more people discover the space, which he says does a "great job" with its events.

"It's still not known to enough people in the community," he said.

Families had the chance to enjoy activities including trick-or-treating, a "not-really haunted" decorated trail, and a showing of "A Minecraft Movie."

Pumpkins were offered to the first 1,800 kids, while teaching artists from Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation assisted kids in decorating their pumpkins.

Grace Banta's husband Robert Banta came dressed as the painting "The Son of Man" by René Magritte.

Sviatoslav Pavliuk, 9, accepts candy from Piper Borgia-Howard, 6.

Anna Sinelnikov, 3, her father Dmitry Sinelnikov, and sister Mia Sinelnikov, 3, all dressed up together as Anna from "Frozen."

Charles Campbell, 6, watches "A Minecraft Movie."

The event featured a not-so-haunted decorated trail.

With the energy of Bamm-Bamm Rubble, Sequoia Kemper, 6, jumps over his brother Bowen Kemper, 11, who is performing an operation with a Nerf gun in the park grass. Their father Kyle Kemper stands behind them.

Sebastian Aust, 6, dressed as Mr. Monopoly, hands out Monopoly cards to Joyce Serrano and Ava Callejas, 6.

Avalyn Chavez, 4, and her sister Alexis Perez, 9, wore costumes from "KPop Demon Hunters" and "Coraline."

Kai Lee, who is 7 months old, and his father Ian Lee, both came dressed as Beetlejuice.

Maverick Mathis, 1, heads down the trail with his family.

Attendees had the chance to watch "A Minecraft Movie."

William Howarth, 7, his mother Ilysa Howarth, sister Huxley Howarth, 7 and father Jeremy Howarth stand on the trail.

Beatrice Stathis, 8, and Lourdes Ceron, 8, decorate their pumpkins.

Kids had the opportunity to decorate their pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.

River McMichael, 5, looks over his treats as he watches "A Minecraft Movie."

author

Ian Swaby

Ian Swaby is the Sarasota neighbors writer for the Observer. Ian is a Florida State University graduate of Editing, Writing, and Media and previously worked in the publishing industry in the Cayman Islands.