Live Music St Pete Beach | 20+ Best St Pete Beach Bars For Music
St Pete Beach is the perfect beach for music lovers in the United States. When it comes to live music St Pete, there are two award-winning bars along with over a dozen other beach bars to explore. There’s no shortage of music in the area.
The downtown St Pete bars are rounded out by the awesome St Pete beach bars on the adjacent coast, making the city a unique destination where there’s something for everyone to enjoy. I’ve written a guide to all the best beach bars in St Pete with live music, from lively bands to melodic acoustic, so you can bar hop and dance all day with the ocean as your back drop. Make sure to dance lots, sunscreen up and to watch for passing dolphins! 😉
St. Pete Beach is healing from the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene. Check with the businesses you’re planning on visiting before traveling to the area, to make sure they are ready for you. Visiting Instagram pages and their stories are a great way to see the current status of operations for certain businesses.
Feel free to donate to the relief effort at Feeding Tampa Bay’s Relief Fund Here.
Quick Summary
St Pete Beach is known for being the Gulf Coast’s best live music beach. Jimmy B’s Beach Bar and Bongo’s Beach Bar are the winners for live music St Pete Beach, as they are both award-winning beach bars, and these two should be your first stop. PCI Beach Bar is your place for DJ live music and a pretty wild but super fun party. On nearby Treasure Island, KaTiki Bar, Ricky T’s Bar & Grille and Ikki Woo Woo’s Tiki Beach Bar are two other fantastic spots for live music near St Pete Beach.
Other places for great live music in St Pete Beach include Coconut Charlie’s, Salty’s Tiki Bar & Beach Lounge, Harry’s Beach Bar, Rum Runners, Hippie Shack, the local favorite Drunken Clam and the Toasted Monkey and Twisted Tiki Bar a little off the beach. Sola is your place to go for live jazz.
Caddys Treasure Island is a destination within itself, where you’ll find live music, beach loungers and three bars. Lastly, you can find more live music within an easy drive of St Pete Beach at Caddys John’s Pass, Crabby’s On The Pass, Saltwater Hippie, Middle Grounds Grill and Bamboo Beach Bar. Last but not least, the Treasure Island Drum Circle is a local tradition that easily beats any formal live music.
Top 5 Best Places For Live Music St Pete Beach
#1 – Jimmy B’s Beach Bar
Jimmy B’s Beach Bar is the legendary award-winning bar on the beach and a must visit spot for live music St Pete Beach. If you’re going to visit one bar in St Pete Beach this should be the one!
Each day during the on season they have music through the day until after midnight on one or both of their indoor/outdoor stages, plus multiple bars and great food too. This is also a great place for people watching as it’s usually people’s last stop for the night lol. Check out the Jimmy B’s music schedule to see their impressive line up. Don’t miss this one!
#2 – Bongos Beach Bar
Bongos is the bar underneath the famous Spinners restaurant in St Pete Beach and it’s a blast. They have music all day every day during on season, and a lot of times you’ll find musicians and bands that like to involve the crowd. The whole place is mainly placed in the sand which I loved, so it really feels unique compared to other bars in the area. They also serve food, making it one of the best restaurants in St Pete Beach where you can watch live music while dining with your feet in the sand.
If you have extra time, pop upstairs to Spinners for a cocktail and an amazing view of St Pete Beach. You can find the Bongos Beach Bar live music schedule here to see what they’re offering.
#3 – KaTiki Bar
KaTiki Bar is one of the best places for live music St Pete beach and has been an area staple for a long time, featuring a dive bar type atmosphere and live music every day of the week. KaTiki has a big palapa roof to bring the tiki vibes and a very casual atmosphere, with a kind-of rock out but chill type vibe. This place is definitely of the area and as an added bonus, it’s right next to Caddy’s Treasure Island which also has live music sometimes, so you can get a two for one! You can check out the Ka’Tiki’s live music schedule to learn more.
#4 – Ikki Woo Woo’s Tiki Beach Bar
This one is a little bit of a drive from St Pete Beach, but the atmosphere and authenticity here is totally worth the extra 10 minutes. This is your place for lively live music and dancing on Treasure Island! My husband and I loved it here so much. It really felt like as soon as the music came on for the second set, everyone was up there dancing and having a great time. No waiting for the party to start here! The music starts around 12:00 each day of the week and ends right after sunset. Check out the Ikki Woo Woo’s Tiki Bar live music calendar to see which bands are playing and join the party.
#5 Postcard Inn (PCI) Beach Bar
Postcard Inn’s Beach Bar (previously Swigwam) doesn’t usually have live bands but they DO have live DJs every day of the weekend and the vibe is great! Think of this place as a party on the beach with loud music and a pretty heavy crowd – aka if this isn’t your thing, you probably won’t like it. The music usually goes until after sunset, with people dancing and hanging out at their multiple bars throughout the day. Here’s the Postcard Inn Beach Bar event calendar.
Other Great Places For Live Music St Pete Beach
Other than the top five above there are PLENTY of places to check out for live music in and near St Pete Beach, like Caddy’s Treasure Island, Coconut Charlie’s, The Toasted Monkey, Twisted Tiki, Salty’s Tiki Bar and more below.
Caddy’s Treasure Island
Caddy’s is a few minutes away on Treasure Island, and it really feels like a destination within a destination. Of course they have live music to match! This awesome beach bar has live DJs during the day and live bands in the evening during the weekends. There are multiple Caddy’s locations throughout the St Pete area, but the Treasure Island location is the one with the most live music and entertainment.
Another highlight here is how convenient and beautiful the whole place is, and how it’s right on the beautiful ocean. There are multiple bars here, including an upper level bar with panoramic views of Treasure Island and the beach, plus tables and lounge chairs – both with umbrellas, on the beach (which are free to use). I would come back to St Pete just to come here! Check out the Caddy’s Treasure Island event calendar to see what’s going on here each day.
Coconut Charlie’s
Coconut Charlie’s is the bar attached to the Hilton in St Pete Beach, featuring beautiful (and IG worthy) decor, a vibrant atmosphere, hammocks on the beach and of course, live music St Pete Beach. Like other bars in the area, they have live music each evening and also a DJ during the day on weekends. On week days they typically have one live music act per evening, starting around dinner time. Here’s the Coconut Charlie’s live music schedule for the most up to date times!
The Toasted Monkey
A little off the beach beach on the north end of St Pete Beach, the Toasted Monkey has live music each day of the week, usually around dinner time (again similar to other area bars). On the weekends they have music throughout the day and DJ’s into the night. The indoor/outdoor space is big and great for dancing, which makes the Toasted Monkey a great place for larger groups or bachelorette or bachelor parties! Look at the Toasted Monkey event calendar here.
Twisted Tiki Bar
Twisted Tiki Bar is St Pete Beach’s indoor tiki bar and live music lounge located a bit off the beach. Come here for tiki themed drinks, flickering lanterns and live music on some week nights and all weekend nights. You can find the Twisted Tiki Bar event calendar at their website to see their live music schedule.
Salty’s Tiki Bar & Beach Lounge
Salty’s Tiki Bar & Beach Lounge is the smallish beach bar at the iconic Tradewinds Resort at St Pete Beach. Think chill live music and beachy vibes, which is also poolside. They do offer food as well, but beware there arent that many places to sit. Usually there isn’t a live music schedule online but you can be sure they’ll have great local acts and you can always call them to ask for a live music schedule. Learn more at the Salty’s Tiki Bar website.
Harry’s Beach Bar
Harry’s was recently renovated and now has a really cool new modern look. Located at the Sirata Resort on St Pete Beach, here you’ll find local music acts and great cocktails, like their famous (and strong) Rum Runners. Visit the Harry’s Beach Bar website to learn more!
Rum Runners Bar And Grille
Rum Runners Bar and Grille is a St Pete Beach bar which is placed right on the beach, with a huge deck and beautiful ocean and sunset views. They have live music some evenings, including cool and unique offerings like steel drum bands (yes please!!). Check out the Rum Runners live music schedule to see for yourself.
Drunken Clam
Featuring a really great indoor/outdoor seating area, Drunken Clam on St Pete Beach is a restaurant and bar in the St Pete Beach area that occasionally has live music. You can check their Drunk Clam event calendar here, to see when live music is playing and view their delicious food menu.
Sola
Although typically not considered a live music bar, Sola Bistro & Wine Bar features some of the only live jazz in the area that I’ve been able to find. It’s a great choice for a more upscale dinner or a few glasses of wine with classy music as the back drop. Keep in mind they only have live jazz occasionally, and you can check for Live Music Nights on the Sola Facebook page.
Hippie Shack St Pete
Hippie Shack is on the very northern end of St Pete Beach near the bridge between St Pete Beach and Treasure Island, which means it’s right on the bayside with beautiful views. They have both an outdoor deck and an indoor section with a really cool glowing mural wall which I love. I spy a little Grateful Dead bear 👀. Best of all they have a regular live music line up which you can check out at Hippie Shack website’s live music calendar.
Sloppy Joe’s On The Beach
Sloppy Joe’s on the Beach is a historic Florida bar now located in the heart of Treasure Island, where you can sit either indoors in their expansive dining room or outdoors on the large deck. Live music happens nightly here, and you can view the Sloppy Joe’s live music schedule at their website. Keep in mind there are two other live music bars right nearby, Ikki Woo Woo’s and Ricky T’s, so you can hop around!
Ricky T’s Bar & Grille
Ricky T’s in Treasure Island is a little off the beach in the middle of the island near a few other Treasure Island Florida bars, offering multiple live music acts nightly. This place is a local favorite, offering a casual atmosphere with indoor and outdoor seating, and a really great food menu. Check out Ricky T’s Bar & Grille live music calendar to see what the line up is.
Saltwater Hippie
Saltwater Hippie is another one of Mad Beach’s best live music bars and one of the best places for live music St Pete Beach, although a little farther down the road about 15 minutes away. It’s relatively small, where you can see local bands and musicians. Visit the Saltwater Hippie’s Facebook Page where they post about their weekend live music line up!
Bamboo Beach Bar
Bamboo Beach Bar is one of the Mad Beach’s best live music bars, featuring live music most days from lunch time until about 9:00pm. It’s about a 15-20 minute drive from St Pete Beach. I love this bar because they have plenty of tiki roofs and it really feels tropical. Try starting here and ending at Saltwater Hippie just down the road (see below). Find the Bamboo Beach Bar live music line up at their website.
Crabby’s On The Pass
Crabby’s On The Pass is a sprawling bar and restaurant along the water toward John’s Island on Treasure Island with stunning views and live music each night, with live music acts also sometimes playing during the day as well. View the Crabby’s On The Pass Entertainment Schedule on their website.
Caddy’s John’s Pass
Caddy’s at John’s Pass is dockside, and they occasionally have live music – mainly once per evening on the weekends. Come here after a day at the sand bar at John’s Pass for some great food alongside the beautiful bay and live music. Find the Caddy’s John’s Pass live entertainment schedule here.
Middle Grounds Grill
Middle Grounds Grill on Treasure Island is mainly a restaurant, but they do have nightly live music in their outdoor bar area from 7:00-10:00 with rotating artists! They also have a killer happy hour.
Honorable Mention: Treasure Island Drum Circle
Although not technically live music, the Treasure Island Drum Circle has been a local tradition for many years, and here you’ll find a huge crowd all drumming together in celebration of the beach and sunset. It’s very inspiring and I recommend it to anyone visiting the area who loves music! The drum circle takes place every Sunday afternoon through sunset near the main beach entrance. You can confirm it’s happening and read more about it at the Treasure Island Drum Circle Facebook Group.
Now that you know all the best spots, you’re set for a weekend or vacation in St Pete Beach! Make sure to check out my St Pete Beach map and save it to your phone, to make getting around on your vacation that much easier.
Lauren Kessel
Lauren Kessel is the author of this blog post and the creator of the Inspired Backpacker travel blog. She is a passionate digital nomad, with the mission to make slow travel a more accessible way of life for everyone. Lauren believes travel is an important means of education and more importantly, a way for people of different cultures to come together and understand each other better. She has a BS in Tourism and has planned countless domestic and international trips for herself, her family and friends, having visited over 12 countries and 30 states so far.
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