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Holidays & Parades
Chanukah in the City
Date
Sunday, Dec 6, 2026
Location
South Straub Park
198 Bayshore Dr NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
198 Bayshore Dr NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Organized by
Chabad Jewish Center of Greater St. Petersburg
About this happenin
Every Chanukah, a menorah carved from ice goes up in South Straub Park and Chabad of St. Petersburg lights it after sundown for a crowd of several hundred. The sculptor carves the block in the open, so you can watch the shape emerge while the park fills. Then come live music, the light show billed as liquid fireworks, face painting and crafts for kids, latkes and jelly donuts, and a fire truck that showers Chanukah gelt over the grass. Rabbi Alter Korf speaks briefly before the first flame, and St. Petersburg's mayor has done the honors at the candle. Chabad has held the lighting since the early 2000s, longer than any other public Chanukah celebration in the bay area has run, and posts an RSVP form ahead of each one, though entry is free and open to all. It starts at 5 p.m. and runs about two hours, outdoors on the downtown waterfront, so bring a layer for a December night by the bay.
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