Seaside's Wine Weekend Is Mostly Waitlisted. The Town Around It Isn't.

If you live within walking distance of Central Square and haven't bought a Seeing Red ticket yet, which part of the weekend is still open to you?

The 34th Seeing Red Wine Festival runs November 5 through 8. As of mid-October, on the official ticket page, every ticket is listed as "Waitlist only" except one: Saturday general admission to the Grand Tasting in Central Square. The Friday reserve tasting, both weekend passes, the VIP Grand Tasting, the sommelier competition and the Sunday champagne brunch all show a waitlist button.

The festival still fills the town that weekend. It sets up on the Lyceum Lawn, in Central Square, along Airstream Row and at the Amphitheater, the town-center spaces Seaside uses for its Friday movies and other events the rest of the fall. Most ticketed events are spoken for, but the festival takes over Seaside's everyday walking map for four days. That map is worth knowing whether you hold a wristband or not.

Where the Tickets Stand

The official festival site calls this the 34th year and describes four days of winemaker dinners, tastings and a grand tasting. Here is how the 2026 ticket page listed each event in mid-October, with prices before and after the ticketing fee.

The weekend passes explain part of the pattern. The Friday/Saturday general admission pass cost $650 before fees. It covered the Friday Al Fresco Reserve Tasting and Saturday general admission to the Grand Tasting on one ticket that scans once each day. Bought separately, those two events cost $750 before fees, so the pass saved $100. The VIP version cost $900, the same as buying the Friday tasting and the VIP Grand Tasting separately. Both passes now show a waitlist. The bundle that saved money sold through. The single day with the most capacity is the one still open.

The Sunday brunch also works differently from the rest of the weekend. The ticket page says Celebration of Bubbles tickets are "limited, sold separately, and not included in General Admission or VIP packages." The brunch pairs champagne, cava and prosecco with dishes from Chef Jim Shirley. No pass ever included it, so anyone who wanted the full four days needed a separate brunch ticket.

Saturday Is the Day Seaside Belongs to the Festival

Saturday, November 7, is when the festival is at its biggest. Battle of the Somms opens the morning. The ticket page describes a face-off between "two of the country's most prestigious Master Sommeliers," with a multi-course menu, wine pairings chosen by the sommeliers and a vote by guests. The location is listed two ways. The ticket page places it at the OBE Pavilion from 10 a.m. to noon. Seaside's own event calendar puts it at The Daytrader Tiki Bar from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The festival FAQ also names The Daytrader Tiki Bar & Restaurant, at 2236 East County Highway 30A, Suite 4. Ticket holders should check which venue is current before that morning.

By early afternoon the festival has moved to Central Square. VIP guests enter at 12:30 p.m. and general admission opens at 1 p.m. The ticket page promises "many wines to taste" along with "culinary selections from our SEASIDE® restaurants and other local eateries." The festival site adds winemakers and vintners "from around the world" and live music. No 2026 wineries, chefs or musicians had been announced. Last year's lineup was a 2025 lineup, so this year's names will come when the festival announces them.

Seaside's regular Saturday schedule overlaps with the festival. The town's fall guide lists the Seaside Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., which runs past the 12:30 p.m. VIP entry. Before planning a market morning on November 7, check the Seaside events calendar for that week's listing.

The Festival Map Is the Town Map

The festival FAQ reads like a walking tour of the town center. Every stop is a place Seaside regulars already know.

1. The Lyceum Lawn at 42 Smolian Circle hosts Friday's Al Fresco Reserve Tasting. The Celebration of Bubbles tent goes up there on Sunday. The festival merchandise tent sits near the Lyceum Gateway.
2. The east entrance of Central Square, across from Pickle's, is the general admission check-in. Guests show a ticket and ID there and receive a wristband, a bag and a wine glass.
3. The west entrance of the Seaside Amphitheater is the VIP check-in, according to the FAQ. The ticket page instead describes the 12:30 p.m. VIP check-in at the VIP lounge in Central Square, so VIP holders should confirm the location with the organizers at [email protected].
4. 5 Central Square, at the west entrance to the square, is where the VIP lounge tent stands, with shaded seating, cocktails and food pairings.
5. Airstream Row, between The Meltdown on 30A and Barefoot BBQ and just south of the Amphitheater stage, holds the Wine Retail Tent. Guests can buy featured wines from participating vintners there, and the FAQ notes that quantities may be limited.
6. The restrooms are portable units on the east end of Central Square plus the public restrooms at the Post Office, next to Bud & Alley's, and behind It's Heavenly.

The festival puts a wine shop on Airstream Row, the trailer row that has served as Seaside's rotating test kitchen. Wild Nectar, a juice bar and coastal kitchen, opened there in May. For one weekend, the same row will sell bottles from visiting vintners.

Getting to the festival depends on a shuttle, as it does in Seaside the rest of the year. The FAQ says free festival shuttles run from a designated lot on Highway 331 North. The town's managed parking notice describes a separate everyday shuttle that runs daily from 6 a.m. to midnight between a lot off Highway 331 South and the Lyceum Archway. Festival guests should use the lot the festival names. The festival is rain or shine. The FAQ recommends "coastal casual" clothes, comfortable shoes for grass and pavement, and a light jacket or umbrella in case of weather.

The Calendar Kept Its Dates Through Isaias

This festival comes a month after a hard stretch for 30A. On October 9, WJHG reported that parts of 30A, including Seaside, were under mandatory evacuation orders for Hurricane Isaias. The station said Seaside businesses had boarded their windows and would close that Friday. By October 13, a 30A.com recovery roundup reported that most local restaurants, cafés and stores had reopened, though some had limited menus or services.

Seaside's own Instagram posts, which also appear on the festival page of the town's website, follow the recovery. One describes merchants, staff and neighbors "working side by side to clean up and prepare to reopen." A later post thanks the team as the town gets "back into the swing of things." Later posts promote the Halloweener Derby and the holiday parade. Meanwhile, the Seeing Red ticket page kept selling Saturday general admission.

Seaside's fall calendar has stayed on its published dates.

• Friday evenings: Central Square Cinema plays at 7 p.m. through the fall.
• Saturday, October 31, 4 to 7 p.m.: Halloween in Seaside turns Central Square into a "candy-colored wonderland" with a "Golden Ticket" theme.
• Thursday through Sunday, November 5 to 8: Seeing Red Wine Festival.
• Saturday, November 28, 3 p.m.: The Seaside Holiday Parade starts at Seagrove Plaza, travels down 30A and ends in Central Square.
• Sunday, December 6, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Seaside Holiday Market brings local artisans and makers to Central Square.

Halloween, the wine festival, the parade and the market all happen in Central Square. Over about five weeks, the square hosts a children's costume evening, a wine tasting with hundreds of glasses and a holiday parade finish. For anyone who wants a seat at the November 7 tasting, the ticket page lists Saturday general admission at $300 plus an $18.39 fee, with the other events on waitlists.

If you're spending Seeing Red weekend in Seaside, or you're weighing a second home within walking distance of Central Square, Kim Beckman, Blake Jones and Krissy Turner know this town calendar well. You can see what's on the market now on our Seaside neighborhood page. Contact the CJB Group at Randy Carroll Realty for a private consultation.