Sunset Cove Is Booked From Nov. 8 Through Thanksgiving Weekend. Here's How West Boca's Big Park Changes Around It.

For most of the year, Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park runs on its everyday features: the 2-mile walking path, Canine Cove, the 27 holes at Osprey Point and the boardwalk at Daggerwing Nature Center. For most of November 2026, Sunset Cove Amphitheater sets the schedule. The venue sits at 20405 Amphitheater Circle, inside the park's 880 acres.

From November 8 through November 27, every weekend on the county's amphitheater calendar has something booked at Sunset Cove, and Thanksgiving morning does too. The lineup includes a charity walk, a two-day reggae festival, jet skis racing at more than 140 mph and a first-year tribute concert. Each one brings its own gate times, bag rules and parking setup, and each changes which parts of the park are crowded and when.

The Calendar, One Weekend at a Time

The month starts small. The Alzheimer's Association's Walk to End Alzheimer's opens its gates at 8 a.m. on Sunday, November 8. Last year's Boca walk was also at Sunset Cove. The Boca Raton Tribune reported that the 2025 walk drew thousands and raised more than $620,000, with a Promise Garden of flowers representing each participant's connection to the disease. It's a morning event, so the park is back to normal by the afternoon.

The weekends after that get bigger, louder and longer.

Back-to-Back Weekends, Two Sets of Rules

Holidaze Fest and Hydrodrags fall on back-to-back weekends. They use the venue in very different ways, and their rules show it.

Reggae Rise Up's Holidaze Fest runs Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15. Saturday's lineup includes Dirty Heads, Collie Buddz, Matisyahu, Fortunate Youth and Kash'd Out. Sunday's includes Wiz Khalifa, Steel Pulse, Little Stranger, Rome and Bryce Vine. Two-day general admission is $115 in advance, $160 online on the day of the show and $165 at the walk-up box office. Children 12 and under get in free with a paid guardian.

Holidaze has some of the strictest rules on the calendar:

• No chairs or blankets
• No outside food or drinks, including candy
• No re-entry except in designated emergencies
• Sealed water up to 1 liter, and empty refillable plastic or aluminum bottles, are allowed
• Bags can be no larger than 12 by 12 inches

A week later, the action moves onto Sunset Lake itself. The Fueltech Hydrodrags Nationals, presented by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, bill themselves as the world's fastest jet ski drag racing. Riders race head-to-head in straight lines. Classes range from near-stock watercraft to Unlimited builds, and in 2025 the slower classes raced Saturday and the faster ones Sunday. The Sports Commission's event profile estimates about 100 riders and 3,000 spectators per event.

Hydrodrags has raced at Sunset Cove before. The county calendar listed a May 11–12, 2024 edition here. In April, the Sports Commission announced a May 23–26, 2026 run at the same venue, with races topping 140 mph and viewing areas built to put fans closer to the water. That makes November the second Hydrodrags date on the county's 2026 calendar for this lake.

The November dates aren't settled. The county lists Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22. The promoter's page lists November 22 and 23. Check the Hydrodrags app before you buy a ticket or plan a quiet Sunday around the lake.

Hydrodrags is much easier on families than Holidaze. Children under 10 don't need a ticket. Plastic tarps and blankets are allowed. Pop-up tents are recommended but can't be staked. Each person can bring one sealed bottle of water up to a gallon. The county's flyer also offers $10 off admission if you show it at the gate. Both events are rain or shine, so a cloudy Saturday won't empty the parking lots.

Thanksgiving Morning Runs Through One Gate

The park normally has several entrances: 11500 Yamato Road, 11200 Park Access Road, 12551 Glades Road and Amphitheater Circle. On Thanksgiving morning, all but one of them close at 7 a.m.

The Adolph & Rose Levis JCC's 18th Annual Turkey Trot runs Thursday, November 26. It includes a 5K run/walk and a Youth 1 Mile Fun Run, and the JCC calls it a local tradition. Gates open at 6 a.m. and the race starts at 7:30 a.m. The JCC's race instructions say Glades Road is the only entrance that morning, and every other South County Regional Park entrance closes at 7 a.m.

So if your Thanksgiving starts with a dog walk at Canine Cove or a lap around the 2-mile path, plan your route around Glades Road or get in early. The first 2,000 registrants get a dri-fit shirt and a finisher medal, and proceeds support Levis JCC programs for local children and families. Strollers are welcome, and there's no rain date.

The next afternoon, the venue switches back to an evening crowd. The Legends Live Tribute Festival is billed as an inaugural event. On Friday, November 27, it brings four tribute acts to Sunset Cove: Miami Sound Revue for Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, Turnstiles for Billy Joel, The Expanding Man for Steely Dan and Infinity for Journey. Music runs from 3:30 to 11 p.m., the latest finish of the month. The organizer says the park has more than 2,000 parking spaces and will post parking fees closer to the date.

What the Everyday Park Looks Like Going In

Some of the park's regular features are closed or limited as November starts. Here's where things stood this week:

• Pickleball courts. All six courts closed for repairs and resurfacing on October 14. The county expected the work to take two weeks, weather permitting, and says the schedule may change. Check the park page before you bring a paddle.
• Cypress Pond Loop playground and swings. Closed while new shade is installed. The county hasn't posted a reopening date.
• Coconut Cove Waterpark. Its 2026 season is over, and no reopening date is posted.
• Daggerwing Nature Center. Free animal feedings and talks run Wednesday through Friday at 2:45 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m., with no reservation needed.

Daggerwing has one more October event before the amphitheater season starts. According to the Boca Raton Tribune's October program guide, Hoot & Howl runs Friday, October 30, from 6 to 8 p.m. It's free for all ages, with no reservations. Kids can come in costume for Halloween games, crafts and a night walk on the boardwalk, so bring a flashlight and bug spray. The nature center is at 11435 Park Access Road, and the free animal talks keep going on weekdays all through the busy November weekends.

December Goes Quiet on the Lake

After Legends Live, the county's amphitheater calendar has no December events at Sunset Cove. The December listings are free concert nights at the county's other venues: Carlin Park After Dark at Seabreeze Amphitheater on December 12, and Legends on the Lawn at Canyon Amphitheater on December 19. New events can still be added, but for now December is open. With Sunset Cove dark, December weekends are back to the walking path, the courts and the boardwalk.

That's a lot of big events in west Boca's regional park this month. If you're thinking about how your own west Boca home might show this winter, Amie Calia can walk you through it, with full-service marketing and a 1.5% listing commission. Get Your Free Home Valuation.