Bonfire Season Returns to the Lake Worth Beach Casino. Upstairs, the Ballroom Is Still Empty.

At 6 p.m. on Friday, November 6, Hot Gritz will start the first set of the season next to a bonfire on the sand at the Lake Worth Beach Casino & Beach Complex. Behind the band, the Casino building's second floor sits vacant. It holds a roughly 3,000-square-foot ballroom and a 5,000-square-foot unfinished space. The City put both out for proposals this spring, nine prospective tenants toured them, and nobody bid.

That's the beach complex this winter. The busiest thing scheduled there after dark is a free event the City puts on with some firewood, a band, and folding vendor tables. The building at its center has no tenant lined up for its top floor and no plan for its pool. Since March, it also has no way to sign a 99-year lease without asking voters first. The bonfires work because they don't need any of those questions answered.

Eight Fridays, Four Themes

The City's 2026–2027 Bonfires & Night Market runs 6 to 9 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of the month, November through February. January is the exception. Those dates move to the second and fourth Fridays. Entry is free, every night has a different band, DJ Chico561 handles sound, and local vendors set up the Night Market. The City suggests bringing lawn chairs and blankets.

The City's September 16 schedule announcement calls this a returning series, its "popular Bonfire series." Within that schedule, the bonfires are the only recurring event at the beach. Little Scream, the Veterans Day celebration, and the Easter Egg Hunt are all at Bryant Park. The tree lighting and Sunset on the Avenue are at Cultural Plaza.

What's Open Around the Fire

The ground floor and the pier are open for business on a Friday night, and they stay open longer than the bonfire does.

• Benny's on the Beach on the pier lists Friday hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Oceanwalk by Benny's reopened in January 2026 after a renovation, with a new look and new menu, and lists Friday hours of noon to 9 p.m. That's the same closing time as the bonfire.
• Kilwins at 10 S. Ocean Blvd. is open Fridays 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., two hours after the last song.
• Mamma Mia's on the Beach is also on the City's Casino complex directory and takes online orders.

City posts say the William O. Lockhart Municipal Pier is open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Parking is the one line item that comes with the free event. Beach meters cost $4 an hour on weekdays and $4.50 an hour on weekends. The City enforces them around the clock, all year, and every beach lot is a tow zone from 2 to 6 a.m. Residents in ZIP code 33460 and limited parts of 33461 can apply for a beach permit, either annual at $65 plus tax or seasonal at $110 plus tax. Permits run May 1 to April 30, so one bought now covers every bonfire night through February. They only apply to designated permit spaces, and the City lists 60 of those near the pier. With eight free Fridays on the calendar, that small permit zone will probably feel tight.

The Pool, and the Room Above It

Walk from the sand toward Ocean Boulevard and you pass the parts of the complex the bonfires don't touch.

The oceanfront swimming pool has been shuttered for nearly 10 years. On April 7, the City's consultant, the firm Zyscovich, told commissioners that the pool "has clearly structurally failed," that its mechanical systems "are all gone," and that it is "beyond repair."

A month later, on a 3–2 vote, the commission issued an Invitation to Negotiate for the second floor. Bidders could propose the ballroom, the unfinished space, or both. The City said it kept the scope "as wide as possible," leaving room for event-space management, restaurants, lounges, or mixed-use ideas. The solicitation, ITN #26-100, closed June 25 at 3 p.m. The Lake Worth Beach Independent reported on July 29 that no proposals came in. A commissioner asked staff to explain the lack of interest at a future meeting, and other commissioners tied the pool and the vacant upstairs together as the complex's most pressing problems.

The same meeting killed a smaller plan. A $390,000 proposal would have turned the road between the Casino and the beach into two southbound lanes and added valet service. Today that road runs one lane each way. Commissioners rejected the valet piece and directed staff to draft a new proposal covering only the southbound traffic change. As of that July report, the road change was still a draft request, not an approved project, so the two-way road is the one you'll drive in on November 6.

Why the Upstairs Can't Move Fast

The empty floor and the dry pool tie back to the March 10 election.

Question 2 on the city ballot asked voters to let the commission lease city property east of A1A for up to 99 years. Lodging and residential uses were excluded, and the City's stated aim was encouraging private investment and cutting maintenance costs. Question 3 asked the same about charter-restricted city land west of A1A. According to the Independent's results story, nearly 79 percent voted no on Question 2 and nearly 77 percent voted no on Question 3. Voters kept their say over long-term leases on the beach and other public land. Mayor Betty Resch had supported the changes. Afterward she said, "The people have spoken and we need to listen."

That vote followed a 2025 fight over a separate unsolicited developer proposal called H.O.R.I.Z.O.N. It included a Hyatt hotel, a redesigned golf course, and a relocated pool, and residents pushed back. On October 7, 2025, commissioners turned down a ballot question that would have allowed hotels at the beach, which the Independent described as effectively ending that proposal. H.O.R.I.Z.O.N. was never part of the City's own planning study.

That study is the Municipal Beach Complex Study, which Zyscovich has led since winning the contract in December 2024. It is meant to assess the beach, the Casino building, the pier, and parking, then produce improvement options, cost estimates, concepts, and a phased plan. The work has a not-to-exceed fee of $473,121.60. An April 7, 2026 staff report put it at about 30 percent complete, with $121,189.35 invoiced. The commission had paused all of that work on February 3 until the referendum was decided. The City's FAQ says there's no developer deal, no plan to sell the property, and no funding decision yet. The study's meeting page currently shows no public meetings scheduled, and a comment form on the project site stays open.

Put together, any major long-term deal for the beach complex now has to go to voters, the planning study's public schedule is blank, and the one short-term leasing attempt drew no bids. Until something changes, the ground floor, the pier, and a few fires on the sand make up the complex's entire public life.

The Rest of the Season, in Order

The bonfires sit inside a fuller downtown calendar. In date order:

1. Through Oct 18: Falsettos closes the opening run of the Lake Worth Playhouse's 74th Main Stage season at 713 Lake Ave.
2. Fri, Oct 30, 6 p.m.: Little Scream Trunk-or-Treat at Bryant Park.
3. Wed, Nov 11, 5 p.m.: Veterans Day Celebration at Bryant Park.
4. Nov 20 through Dec 6: The Game's Afoot (Holmes for the Holidays) at the Playhouse. The Nether is on the November calendar in the Stonzek Black Box series.
5. Mon, Nov 30, 6:30 p.m.: Tree lighting at Cultural Plaza.
6. Sat, Dec 5, 6 p.m.: The Candyland-themed Holiday Parade downtown, the night after Night Jar plays the Dec 4 bonfire.

For dinner downtown before heading east to the beach, the newest option is Man Ray at 522 Lucerne Ave. It opened in August, and Subculture Coffee shares the address, with morning coffee service planned to start at 7 a.m. Our summer guide to J Street's weekend lineup covers the downtown blocks in more detail, and the Lake Worth neighborhood page has the bigger picture.

If you own a home east of Dixie and want to know what the complex's next chapter might mean for your property, Jason Litt tracks the beach complex votes and commission meetings as closely as the sales data. Start with a free home valuation and a straight conversation about where your home stands today.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.