ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – St. Pete is coming together to celebrate the community’s resilience after a busy hurricane season.

They are holding the first-ever “Still Shining Music Festival,” with everything kicking off Friday at 6 p.m.

Ferdian Jap, Event Manager for St. Pete Pier said this is in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The goal is to bring the community together to enjoy a free weekend filled with music and films.

“We want to rally the community and show the people outside of the community that we’re still shining, our businesses are open, all the businesses need help,” Ferdian Jap said.

There will be nine films and five musical bands all playing at Spa Beach Park at the St. Pete Pier.

“After the storm, there was a lot of cleanups we needed to do on the Pier, so now I think we’re ready to do this kind of stuff. The beach is being cleaned right now just to give it a touchup. So, we decided to do both music and movies,” Jap said.

Even though the family-friendly event is free, there is on-site parking available for $2.50 an hour for up to four hours.

This event may have been put together quickly, but Jap said they put a lot of thought into showing the community’s resilience. They removed the sand, cleaned up the beach, and put a stage and screen in the park.  

“It’s normally our busy season right now, but we’ve seen some slower traffic, so we wanted to rally everyone, said Jap. “It’s nice out, come on out, we’re open, help the small businesses in the area, all the businesses on the pier, the restaurants, the shops, the marketplace vendors.”

On top of entertainment, there will be food and drinks available to purchase.

Since the weather is expected to be chillier, organizers decided to put hot chocolate on the menu to help people stay warm.

“People just come out and bring a blanket, bring a jacket or two, and just enjoy friends and family and the community,” Jap said.

The festival goes from Friday to Sunday, you can find the schedule below:

Friday, Nov. 22 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 23 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

• Silly Sam (Kids) Music at noon.
• Finding Nemo Movie at 12:30 p.m. 
• Silly Sam (Kids) Music at 2 p.m.
• Encanto Movie at 3 p.m. 
• Music TBD at 5 p.m. 
• Free Willy Movie at 6 p.m. 
• JAWS Movie at 8 p.m. 

Sunday, Nov. 24 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

• The Little Mermaid (live-action) Movie at noon.
• Music TBD at 2:30 p.m. 
• Aquaman Movie at 3:30 p.m. 
• Music TBD at 6 p.m.
• Waterworld Movie at 7 p.m.

According to organizers, the times, movies, and bands can change at any time.

The event is located at Spa Beach Park at St. Pete Pier: 800 2nd Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701