Niceville's best-known party used to take place on a field. These days its community calendar runs from the docks. The Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival has not been confirmed since its 2019 edition. Meanwhile, the small events that kept its spirit going have settled along Choctawhatchee Bay at Bluewater Bay Marina. This fall, the City added a public dock and pier at Old Town Landing on Boggy Bayou. That gives Niceville's waterfront gatherings a second address, one the City built itself.
November is a good month to see how this works. Between the marina and the Community Center, there's a free or cheap event nearly every weekend, and most of them raise money for a local cause.
Where the mullet went after 2019
Mid Bay News reported in March 2024 that the festival was last held in 2019, when it ran as Boggy Fest. The 2020 event was canceled, and it hadn't returned since. That spring, the promoters told the Niceville City Council they hoped to bring it back in 2025.
By that fall, the outlook was murkier. Mid Bay News covered the October 2024 council meeting and reported that the council hadn't given approval. City Manager David Deitch said the Eglin lease amendment for the festival grounds was still in federal processing and could take 24 months. The Northwest Florida Daily News described open questions about the lease, parking and power at the site, and quoted Mayor Daniel Henkel: "Until we have specifics, it's hard for us to say go forth."
The tradition kept going in a smaller form. In mid-October, LJ Schooners Dockside Restaurant & Oyster Bar, at 290 Yacht Club Drive at the end of Bay Drive in Bluewater Bay, held its Missing the Mullet Weekend from Oct. 16 to 18. Friday brought live music from The Remedy and a fried mullet plate with hushpuppies, slaw and baked beans. Saturday was a football tailgate. Sunday featured the 6th Annual Mullet Toss, with children's, youth and adult divisions and a $5 registration fee donated to Sharing & Caring, followed by Ronny Dean Garrett on stage and a mullet hair contest decided by popular vote.
That's the old festival's spirit at a size one waterfront restaurant can host. Since it's now in its sixth year, it's also a dependable fixture on the October calendar.
November at Bluewater Bay Marina, and two stops inland
The marina's November schedule follows the same pattern as the mullet toss. The events are low-key, held at the water, and often tied to a cause. Here's the month in one place, starting with the rodeo on Friday, Nov. 6.
| Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri.–Sat., Nov. 6–7 | Emerald Coast PCA Rodeo | 100 College Blvd., Niceville | 7:30 p.m. both nights |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Nautical Flea Market | Bluewater Bay Marina | 10 a.m.–2 p.m.; buy, sell, trade |
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Spirits of the Bayous | Niceville Community Center | 6 p.m.; free |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | 8th Annual Chili Cook-Off | Bluewater Bay Marina | 4–6 p.m.; benefits CALM |
The Nautical Flea Market was moved to Nov. 14, and the marina is still taking vendors. Spots cost nothing to reserve by calling 850-897-2821. If your garage has old rods, spare fenders or a kayak paddle nobody uses, this is the day the marina sets aside for them.
The 8th Annual Chili Cook-Off on Nov. 21 benefits CALM, Crisis Aid for Littles and Moms, and is free for competitors. The sixth mullet toss and the eighth chili cook-off point the same way. The marina has spent most of a decade building a calendar of small events that come back every year.
The library night on the list fits too. On Nov. 17 the Niceville library hosts Spirits of the Bayous at the Niceville Community Center. Local historian, storyteller and ghost tour guide Bert Moore will share "eerie tales, mysterious happenings, and haunting recollections," as the City's announcement puts it. It's free, starts at 6 p.m., and it's about the same bayous where the waterfront events take place.
A second waterfront on Boggy Bayou
On the other side of town, the City is building its own version of a gathering place by the water. Get The Coast reported that the City of Niceville set a public ribbon-cutting for the new Old Town Landing Dock and Pier at 10 a.m. on Oct. 6. Anyone could attend, with no RSVP needed. The site is Niceville Landing on Bayshore Drive.
The money came from three sources. According to the same Get The Coast article, the dock was paid for by the Niceville Community Redevelopment Agency, Okaloosa County Tourist Development funds, and a Florida Boating Improvement Grant from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Mayor Henkel, who also sits on the CRA board, told Get The Coast why the City built it:
"The new dock and pier will create a place where our community can come together, enjoy our waterfront, and make lasting memories. At the same time, this investment will help bring more activity to Old Town Landing and create new opportunities for local commerce."
Mid Bay News called the structure the first completed part of the multi-phase Niceville Landing Rehabilitation Project. The City's Old Town Landing project page lists what the finished landing is meant to include:
- A new dock and pier for waterfront access, the piece opened this fall.
- A family-friendly splash pad, which the project timeline lists for June 2026.
- Commercial development on the upland side to support local businesses.
- More community spaces for recreation and gatherings.
The CRA's longer-range redevelopment plan goes further. It describes the first phase, upland access, as complete. Phase II would add a linear pier-style landing along the shoreline, and Phase III an offshore pavilion for public gatherings. The plan gives no dates for either. It also describes the landing as a spot for watercraft access and "day docking," so boaters could tie up and walk to the redeveloped commercial area. That's a goal written into the plan, so look for posted signs at the dock before you bring a boat over.
The plan's sketch of the upland "village" shows 14 commercial buildings. The business types it suggests include a bed-and-breakfast, a farmers market, a raw bar, a bakery and deli, a book-and-music shop, and an ice-cream parlor. None of these are signed tenants. They're the kinds of businesses the CRA says it wants beside the water.
Two shorelines, one pattern
Bluewater Bay Marina already shows what a waterfront calendar looks like when a restaurant and marina run it. The events are dockside, recurring, family-friendly and tied to local charities like Sharing & Caring and CALM. Old Town Landing is the City's attempt at a public counterpart on Boggy Bayou, paid for with redevelopment, tourism and boating money and planned around foot traffic, a splash pad and boats tying up for the afternoon.
For now, the bay side has the full schedule and the bayou side has a new pier and a plan. The flea market on Nov. 14 and the chili cook-off on Nov. 21 are the clearest picture of how Niceville uses its waterfront this fall. On Bayshore Drive, the next piece to watch for is the splash pad on the City's project timeline.
If you're curious how Niceville's waterfront is changing and what Old Town Landing could mean for the streets around Bayshore Drive, I'm happy to talk it through over coffee or a chili sample at the marina. Dani Goodson follows these projects closely and will gladly share what she learns. Let's Connect.
