The Seeing Red Wine Festival returns to Seaside November 5 through 8 for its 34th year. Its five ticketed events are spread across four days and a handful of venues. Thursday is inside a restaurant, Friday and Sunday are on the Lyceum Lawn, and Saturday holds two events, a morning competition and an afternoon tasting. Only that Saturday afternoon tasting takes over Central Square. If you live nearby and aren't holding a wristband, most of the week happens next to your routine and doesn't replace it. The town's regular calendar holds a concert the night before the festival and picks up again a few days after.
Wednesday Opens the Week Before the Corks Do
The first event on Seaside's November calendar comes a day before Seeing Red starts. On Wednesday, November 4, Sounds of Seaside brings Max McCann to the Seaside Amphitheater in Central Square from 4 to 6 p.m. The town's listing tells people to bring blankets and chairs.
It's the last Amphitheater concert in the square before the festival. It also sets up the pattern for the rest of the week. The Amphitheater lawn stays a public room on Wednesday afternoon, and the festival's first event happens indoors the next night.
Thursday and Friday Stay Behind a Door and on a Lawn
The festival opens Thursday, November 5, with the Vintner's Dinner at Bud & Alley's from 6 to 9 p.m. Seaside's listing still says menu details are to come. The festival site calls it a toast to the start of Seeing Red weekend, with wines paired to a curated menu.
On Friday, November 6, the festival moves to the Lyceum Lawn at 42 Smolian Circle for the Al Fresco Reserve Tasting, 6 to 8:30 p.m. The festival describes it as vintage and reserve wines poured by the winemakers and vintners themselves.
So on both nights, the ticketed part of the festival sits in one defined spot, a dining room and then a lawn. Central Square isn't part of either event.
Saturday Is the One Day the Square Changes Hands
Saturday, November 7, has the most going on, and it's the only day the festival and Seaside's everyday public space share the same ground. Here's how the day lays out from the official listings:
- Morning market. The Seaside Farmers Market's published schedule runs it on Saturdays only in November, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Amphitheater, with local farmers, growers, artisans, baked goods, and live music. It goes ahead rain or shine unless the weather makes conditions unsafe. Check the Seaside events calendar that week to confirm the market is set up on festival Saturday. The listing for the following Saturday, November 14, is posted for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Battle of the Somms, 10 a.m. The festival describes this one as a faceoff where guests help crown the champion. The two official listings give different venues. Seaside's event page puts it at The Daytrader Tiki Bar and Restaurant, 2236 E County Hwy 30A, running until 12:30 p.m. The Big Tickets listing names OBE Pavilion and an end time of noon. If you have a ticket, confirm the venue before you go.
- Grand Tasting, 12:30 to 4 p.m. VIP entry starts at 12:30 p.m. and general admission at 1 p.m., in Central Square. Seaside's listing promises wines from winemakers and vintners around the world, food from local chefs including some in Seaside, and live music.
Put those times together and the market's posted closing time of 1 p.m. comes a half hour after VIP guests start arriving in the same square. On paper, the square goes from market stalls to a ticketed tasting around the middle of the day.
The festival FAQ shows exactly which edges of the square the ticketed crowd uses:
- General admission check-in is at the east entrance to Central Square, across from Pickle's. Guests pick up a wristband, bag, and wine glass there.
- VIP check-in is at the west entrance of the Seaside Amphitheater.
- The VIP Lounge Tent is at the west entrance to Central Square, 5 Central Square, and VIP credentials are required.
- The Wine Retail Tent is on Airstream Row between The Meltdown on 30A and Barefoot BBQ, directly south of the Amphitheater Stage. Festival guests can buy featured wines there, and quantities may be limited.
That same stretch of Airstream Row is where Wild Nectar, a fresh-pressed juice bar and coastal kitchen, opened earlier this year. Seaside featured it in a May 2026 story.
For getting there, the FAQ says complimentary shuttles run to the event from a designated festival parking lot on Highway 331 N. It doesn't publish any road closures. The festival also notes it goes ahead rain or shine.
What the Week Costs Next to the Town's Regular Calendar
Below are the prices on the Big Tickets page as of October 2026, alongside the town's regular events on either side of the festival, whose Seaside listings show no ticket. Ticket prices can change.
| Date | Event | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 4 | Sounds of Seaside with Max McCann | Amphitheater, Central Square | No ticket listed |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Al Fresco Reserve Tasting | Lyceum Lawn | $450 plus $27.08 fee |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Farmers Market, per published Saturday schedule | Amphitheater | No ticket listed |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Grand Tasting, general admission | Central Square | $300 plus $18.39 fee |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Grand Tasting, VIP | Central Square | $450 plus $27.08 fee |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Celebration of Bubbles | Lyceum Lawn tent | $125 plus $8.26 fee |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Sounds of Seaside with Flow Tribe | Amphitheater, Central Square | No ticket listed |
The festival also sells passes on the same page. As of October 2026, a Friday and Saturday general admission pass was listed at $650 plus a $38.66 fee, and a VIP pass at $900 plus a $53.13 fee. The Celebration of Bubbles is sold separately and isn't included in either package. The Vintner's Dinner listing doesn't post menu details yet.
Sunday Returns to the Lawn, and the Square Goes Back to the Town
The festival's last event happens away from Central Square. The Celebration of Bubbles runs Sunday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the tent on the Lyceum Lawn. Expect Champagne, Cava, Prosecco and other sparkling wines, paired with brunch dishes from Chef Jim Shirley.
After that, the November calendar goes back to the square's regular events. Sounds of Seaside has Flow Tribe on November 11, Roman Street on November 18, and BOUKOU GROOVE on November 25. The Farmers Market is posted for Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The month ends with the Seaside Holiday Parade & Turn on the Town on Saturday, November 28, from 3 to 8 p.m. It includes a parade along 30A, a performance by Emerald Coast Theatre Company, the tree lighting, and photos with Santa until 8 p.m. Parade registration proceeds benefit Point Washington Medical Clinic.
Whenever you're out and about near Central Square, Tanika O'Brien and our team keep track of how Seaside's calendar shapes everyday life around the square. That includes which weekends get busy, which spaces stay open, and how the rhythm shifts from festival week to the holidays. If you're curious how a home near Central Square works during a week like Seeing Red, we're happy to talk it through.
