How many November weekends in West Boca will take you east of the Turnpike? Going by the Palm Beach County Parks calendar, from November 7 on the answer could easily be none. All the big events on the schedule this month are at one place: Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park, at 20405 Amphitheater Circle. That covers a charity walk, a two-day reggae and hip-hop festival, professional jet ski drag racing on Sunset Lake, a Thanksgiving morning 5K and a Black Friday tribute concert.
The park runs a second, smaller calendar on the same weekends. Daggerwing Nature Center sits inside the same park and holds programs of a few dozen people on a boardwalk. Several of them fall on the same Saturdays as the big crowds at Sunset Cove. The festivals sell tickets at the gate. The $5 nature programs are the ones you have to book ahead.
Tomorrow Night Is the Warm-Up
This post goes up on Thursday, October 29, so the first date is the closest one. Daggerwing's Hoot & Howl runs Friday, October 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. It's free and open to all ages, and you don't need a reservation. Kids come in costume for not-so-scary Halloween games and crafts, learn about owls, toads, snakes and spiders, and then head out on the boardwalk after dark. The center asks families to bring a flashlight and bug spray. Crafts are while supplies last.
Hoot & Howl is one of the few Daggerwing events this fall that you can just show up to. The other is the regular animal feeding and talk, held Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 2:45 p.m. and Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. It's free and needs no reservation.
Two Calendars, Same Saturdays
Here's November side by side. The left column is what fills the amphitheater lawn and Sunset Lake. The right column is what's happening at the same time at Daggerwing.
| Weekend | Sunset Cove and Sunset Lake | Daggerwing Nature Center |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 7–8 | Walk to End Alzheimer's, Sunday 8:00 a.m. | Birding 101: Fall Migration, Saturday 10:30 a.m. |
| Nov. 14–15 | Holidaze Fest, gates 3:00 p.m. both days | Radical Reptiles, Saturday 10:30 a.m. |
| Nov. 21–22 | Fueltech Hydrodrags Nationals, show 9:15 a.m. both days | Fishing Fun 9:30 a.m., Thanksgiving with the Animals noon, Saturday |
| Nov. 26–28 | Turkey Trot Thursday, Legends Live Friday | Intro to Archery, Saturday 10:00 a.m. |
The November 14 overlap is easy to manage. Radical Reptiles is a morning program for ages 5 and up at $5 a person, and Holidaze Fest doesn't open its gates until 3:00 p.m. A family can meet the center's resident reptiles and be home before the festival crowd shows up.
November 21 asks more of you. The Hydrodrags show starts at 9:15 a.m. on the lake. Daggerwing's Fishing Fun class starts at 9:30 a.m., and Thanksgiving with the Animals follows at noon. It's one park, two very different crowds, and they're there at the same time.
What the Big Events Cost and Allow
Each of the four ticketed events has its own rules. The ones that catch people out are the chair rules and the price jump on the day of the event.
- Holidaze Fest, Nov. 14–15. Reggae Rise Up presents it, with gates opening at 3:00 p.m. each day. Saturday's lineup is Dirty Heads, Collie Buddz, Matisyahu, Fortunate Youth, Kash'd Out, Wheeland Brothers, Jarv and The Hulagans. Sunday brings Wiz Khalifa, Steel Pulse, Little Stranger, ROME, Bryce Vine, The Ries Brothers, Beach Fly and Ichroniq. The county listing puts a two-day GA pass at $115 in advance, $160 online on the day and $165 at the gate. Children 12 and under get in free with a paying guardian. Chairs and blankets are not allowed.
- Fueltech Hydrodrags Nationals, Nov. 21–22. This is jet ski drag racing, with speeds up to 147 mph and classes from novice to professional, according to Quad Life Entertainment. The county's event-use agreement names Sunset Lake as the water venue. Admission is $30 in advance or online on the day, and $40 at the gate. The county's event notice says showing the flyer at the gate saves $10.
- Legends Live Tribute Festival, Nov. 27. Four tribute acts play: Miami Sound Revue covering Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, Turnstiles covering Billy Joel, The Expanding Man covering Steely Dan, and Infinity covering Journey. According to the county listing, GA is $39 in advance and $45 on the day, and VIP is $55 and $65. Ages 5 to 17 pay $10, and kids 4 and under get in free. Blankets and lawn chairs are fine at this one.
Holidaze Fest is a standing festival. Legends Live expects you to bring a chair and stay from 3:30 p.m. until the music stops at 11:00 p.m.
Daggerwing Fills Up Before the Festivals Do
Daggerwing's calendar says it plainly: reservations are required for all programs unless noted, and every participant signs a Program Participation Form before each one. Since October 1, 2025, card payments, online or in person, carry a 3.0% service fee. Paying by cash or check avoids it.
The program with the best timing is Birding 101: Fall Migration on Saturday, November 7, at 10:30 a.m. It's $5 a person for ages 5 and up. The center notes that fall bird migration in North America peaks in November. A naturalist covers identification first and then leads a guided birding walk.
If you can't make it to the park, Daggerwing brings its birds program to the Glades Road Branch Library on Tuesday, November 10, at 3:00 p.m. It's free and features one of the center's animal ambassadors. You RSVP through the library at (561) 482-4554.
Thanksgiving Week, Day by Day
The week of November 23 is when both calendars run together. Kids are home from school, the center has added holiday programs, and the amphitheater has two events back to back.
- Tuesday, Nov. 24, 10:30 a.m. Mother Nature & Me: Thanksgiving with the Animals at Daggerwing. It's built for ages 2 to 5 with a guardian, at $4 per child, with stories, live animals and a craft.
- Wednesday, Nov. 25, 9:30 a.m. Animal Keeper for a Day. Ages 8 and up pay $10 to work behind the scenes with animal care staff, feeding the animals, cleaning exhibits and setting up enrichment.
- Thursday, Nov. 26, gates 6:00 a.m. The Adolph & Rose Levis JCC's Paul Markhoff Racing With The J 18th Annual Turkey Trot. The 5K starts at 7:30 a.m. and the Youth 1 Mile Fun Run at 8:30 a.m. There's also a Schwedelson Special Needs 5K and a virtual option.
- Friday, Nov. 27, gates 2:30 p.m. Legends Live Tribute Festival on the Sunset Cove lawn, with entertainment from 3:30 to 11:00 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 10:00 a.m. Intro to Archery at Daggerwing, taught by USA Archery certified staff. It's $10 for ages 8 and up, equipment is provided, and closed-toe shoes are a good idea for every Daggerwing outdoor class.
The Turkey Trot is the one to register for early. According to the Levis JCC, the 5K for ages 11 and up costs $40 through November 15, $45 from November 16 to 25, and $50 on race day. Ages 10 and under pay $30, $35 and $40 on the same schedule. The youth mile goes from $20 to $30 after November 15. Proceeds support Levis JCC programs for local children and families. Registration is on RunSignup.
The Saturday before Thanksgiving, November 21, Daggerwing holds the all-ages version of Thanksgiving with the Animals at noon for $5. The theme is what animals eat, and the program includes feeding Fritz the gopher tortoise, a snake and an alligator.
The Coffee Stop on Glades Road
West Boca's newest morning stop before a 10:30 program opened in October. Maman, the French café and bakery, opened its Boca Raton location on October 6 at Shadowood Square, 9959 Glades Road. It serves fresh-baked pastries, scratch-made breakfast and lunch, and specialty coffee and tea, Boca Raton magazine reported. Its neighbors at the center include the children's clothing store Tecomoabesos and the jewelry store Hustle + Heart, which both held pop-ups at the opening.
There's more coming at the center. EDENS, Shadowood Square's landlord, says new retailers will start opening this winter and keep opening through spring 2027.
What's Off the Table This Month
Some of the park is shut while the events run. Coconut Cove Waterpark's 2026 season is over. The county's park page says the pickleball courts were set to close for resurfacing starting October 14 for about two weeks, weather permitting. It also lists the Cypress Pond Loop playground and swing area as closed for shade installation, with the reopening date subject to change.
The everyday parts of the park stay open on event weekends: the 2-mile walking path, the 2-mile bike path, the boardwalk trails, Canine Cove, Osprey Point Golf Course and the Rick Macci Tennis Center. General hours are sunrise to sunset, and the lighted courts are open until 10:00 p.m.
At Bergman Realty Group, we live and work in West Boca too, and we follow what this park puts on its calendar each season. If you're thinking about what your home near Sunset Lake is worth in a month this busy, we're happy to put together a free home valuation and talk through it with you.
