The borough's Last Sunset Gathering is set for Sunday, October 4, at 6 p.m. It is the last evening event on Bay Head's public calendar until December. Every borough-listed event between now and the Christmas Walk starts in the morning or at midday. The town's best-known breakfast room has also stopped serving dinner and now closes in the afternoon. In October and November, Bay Head's shared calendar runs in daylight, and borough government and local groups run nearly all of it.
The listing gives a date and a time and nothing else. It doesn't name a location or a host, so check the borough calendar before heading out.
The Fall Calendar Was Set in April
Most of what fills the next five weekends was on paper by spring. The minutes of the Bay Head Borough Council's April 6, 2026 meeting cover the year's calendar in one stretch. They list the Bay Head Fire Company No. 1 Annual Clam Bake, the Fourth of July bike parade and Movies in the Park, along with the Bay Head Business Association's Halloween Parade & Costume Contest and the 3rd Annual Mayor's Chili Cook-Off.
The fall events took their place in the same session as the summer ones. The difference is who stays to run them. Here is the stretch between the last sunset event and the Christmas Walk, as the borough and its organizers have published it:
- Sunday, Oct. 4, 6 p.m.: Last Sunset Gathering, on the borough calendar
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 8:30 a.m.: 19th Annual Bay Head Shark Run 5K, starting at East Avenue and Karge Street
- Saturday, Oct. 17, noon: Witches & Warlocks Paddle Bash on Twilight Lake
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 11:15 a.m.: check-in for the Bay Head Business Association's Halloween Parade & Costume Contest at Mount and Lake
- Sunday, Nov. 1, noon to 2 p.m.: 3rd Annual Mayor's Chili Cook-Off
The earliest start is 8:30 in the morning, and nothing on the list begins after noon. Each event comes from a local body: the Mayor and Council, the Bay Head Home & School Association, or the Business Association.
October 17 Puts a Race and a Paddle on One Saturday
The middle Saturday of October is the busiest day of the fall. The 19th Annual Shark Run 5K starts at 8:30 a.m. Around 8 a.m., after the national anthem, race volunteers walk runners from the Bay Head firehouse at 81 Bridge Avenue to the starting line at the corner of East Avenue and Karge Street. Its sponsor, the Bay Head Home & School Association, calls the race its largest fundraiser of the year. The money supports extracurricular activities, classroom and school-grounds projects, clubs, sports equipment, class trips and after-school programs. All entries are taken online only, even on race day, and live results post at splitsecondracing.net.
The Witches & Warlocks Paddle Bash starts on Twilight Lake at noon. The borough posted the announcement on September 4. The flyer sets the tone:
"Decorate your canoe, kayak, or SUP with your best witchy or warlock-inspired designs, and join us for a paddle through the beautiful waters of Twilight Lake, Bay Head, NJ."
The Mayor and Council sponsor it, and paddlers of all ages and skill levels are welcome. Awards go to Best Witch, Best Warlock and Best Decorated Vessel. Entry is $35, and the day includes music and hot dogs. Proceeds go to St. Gregory's Pantry.
On paper, the 5K should finish well before the paddlers launch. A household could run in the morning and decorate a kayak for the afternoon. Both events raise money for local causes, and the town's own groups organize both.
The Restaurants Run on the Same Hours
The dining calendar follows the same pattern. The Asbury Park Press reported in February 2025 that Taylor Sam's planned to open at 58 Bridge Avenue, then home to Dune Grass Cafe. NJ.com reported that June that the Bay Head location had opened, replacing Dune Grass Cafe. The restaurant's own site describes dinner as a summer offering that runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
Its current Bay Head location page lists daytime hours only:
- Monday and Wednesday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Tuesday: closed
- Saturday and Sunday: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
On October 17, Taylor Sam's is open from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., which covers the 5K, the paddle and the hours in between. On Halloween, a Saturday, the parade check-in at 11:15 a.m. falls in the middle of those weekend hours.
For dinner, Theresa's South at 530 Main Avenue serves from 5 to 9 p.m. and starts closing on Mondays as of October 5. Its site also says a 3% surcharge applies to credit card purchases as of October 1, 2026. So the night after the Last Sunset Gathering is the first Monday of the fall schedule.
Beach House Classic Boardshop at 517 Main Avenue says it is open year-round. The shop hosted the borough-listed Annual Old School Surfboard Display back on May 3. Its website doesn't post store hours, so call ahead before a weekday stop.
Other familiar names haven't published fall schedules that we could confirm, including Mueller's Bakery at 80 Bridge Avenue, Charlie's of Bay Head and the dining room at The Grenville. Check with them directly before planning around them.
Halloween Weekend Hands Off to November
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so the last two events of the fall land on back-to-back days. The Business Association's Halloween Parade & Costume Contest checks in at 11:15 a.m. on October 31 at the corner of Mount and Lake. The April council minutes list the parade at 11 a.m. The 11:15 time comes from the current event listing, and getting there by 11 covers either one.
The next day, Sunday, November 1, the 3rd Annual Mayor's Chili Cook-Off runs from noon to 2 p.m. Its sponsor matches the paddle's: an event carrying the mayor's name, entered in the same April minutes as the summer bike parade and the Fire Company clam bake.
October is also the last month of the Bay Head Historical Society museum's season. The Society describes the museum as open seasonally from May through October. Its events page lists Saturday and Sunday hours of 1 to 4 p.m. That leaves the last weekend afternoons of October for a visit before the museum closes for the year.
Evenings Come Back With the Christmas Walk
The calendar moves back into the evening on Friday, December 4. The Business Association-sponsored Christmas Walk runs downtown from 5 to 9 p.m. that night, with a tree lighting, photos with Santa, shop open houses and music. Saturday, December 5, moves back to the morning. From 10 a.m. to noon at the Fire House, the program includes breakfast with Santa, a workshop, trolley rides and a scavenger hunt. The listing also says the Bay Head Museum will offer a Victorian Christmas that weekend.
That makes nine weeks between the 6 p.m. sunset gathering on October 4 and the 5 p.m. tree lighting on December 4. In between, the public calendar runs on 8:30 a.m. race starts, noon launches on Twilight Lake and midday check-ins at Mount and Lake.
If the quieter months have you thinking about how a Bay Head home fits your own plans, from the first Shark Run morning to the Christmas Walk, Critelli Realtors® offers senior-level guidance from advisors who follow the shore calendar all year. Schedule a free consultation.
