Sarasota Florida Entertainment & Events

Special Events

• Florida State DanceSport Championships
  1111 Ritz-Carlton Drive • Sarasota, FL 34236
  Located at the Ritz Carlton Hotel
  941-309-2000
  One of the most prestigious championships in Florida, this six day competition of dancing features hundreds of ballroom dancers from around the world gathering to compete for a half a million dollars in cash prizes, merchandise, and scholarships. more...

• Mardi Gras at the Powel Crosley Estate
  8374 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34243
  941-724-9700
  Party at the best Mardi Gras gala east of New Orleans. It starts at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12th, at the Powel Crosley Mansion, on Sarasota Bay. Savor the finest Cajun-style cuisine, dance to the best rock and blues and be entertained under the stars. Dress in your best Mardi Gras attire and they will be-dazzle you with endless strands of beads. At the end of the evening, join the cast for a King and Queen coronation - it could be you. Proceeds donated to support the Crosley Estate Foundation. Cash bar with featured Hurricanes. more...

Cinema

• Regal Hollywood 20
  1993 Main Street • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-954-5768
  This cinema shows first run Hollywood hits, as well as critically acclaimed films, alternative productions, restored classics, and foreign movies.  more...

Night Life

• Bahi Hut
  4675 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34234
  941-355-5141
  A Sarasota tradition for over 30 years, this lounge was established in 1954 and is famous for their lethal Mai Tai drink. The lounge is a Polynesian paradise complete with coconuts, bamboo, and palms.

• McCurdy's Comedy Theater
  3333 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34236
  Located at Trail Plaza
  941-925-3869
  Enjoy a perfect night out for the best in comedy and improvisation entertainment at this beautiful, state-of-the-art 3,200 square foot theater that also features a 4,000 square foot gated courtyard. Reservations are suggested and you must be 18 years old. Humor workshops in stand up and improvisation are available.  more...

• Ivory Lounge
  1413 Main Street • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-388-7869
  Ivory can be described as, "...an ultimate, contemporary lounge with a minimalist, modern aesthetic..." The lounge features sophisticated art with progressive urban sounds from various DJs and musicians. Ivory reinvents Sarasota nightlife where design, music and atmosphere combine for a unique, intoxicating experience. Ivory Lounge is a location where the community can be proud to be seen and proud to look their best, set in an upscale venue with affordable prices. Bottle Service is available upon request simply by calling. more...

Concerts & Performances

• Circus Sarasota
  8251 15th Street East, Suite B • Sarasota, FL 34243
  Administrative Office
  941-355-9335
  Circus Sarasota's mission is "to provide a circus that represents the circus arts at the highest level and that is linked to the community through performance, education and integrated arts programming." more...

• Florida String Quartet
  709 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-953-3434
  This resident chamber ensemble performs music stemming from many different styles and origins, as well as sounds by renowned musicians, throughout the year.

• Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
  777 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-955-7676
  Designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, this performance hall is located directly on beautiful Sarasota Bay and hosts over 120 world class performances each year including great music, dances, theater, comedies, Broadway musicals, symphony orchestras, and top national and international performers. An array of educational outreach programs are also available. more...

• Sarasota Orchestra
  709 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-953-4252
  Embark upon an unforgettable journey in sound by this symphony orchestra that provides a wide range of orchestral and chamber music concerts from September through June. more...

• Golden Apple Dinner Theatre
  25 North Pineapple Avenue • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-366-5454
  The oldest continuing dinner theatre in America and one of a dozen professional dinner theatres in the country, this theatre invites you to enjoy feasting on a bountiful all-you-can-eat buffet followed by an entertaining, award-winning Broadway musical. more...

• Players Theatre, The
  838 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-365-2494
  The second oldest community theatre in Florida, this performing arts organization was also the first organization of its kind in Sarasota. Six lavish, full scale musicals with live orchestra are performed each season, as well as special events and a series of concerts. more...

• Sarasota Ballet of Florida
  5555 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34243
  941-552-1032
  A professional resident company that offers seven world-class, eclectic productions from September to April each year including the traditional holiday favorite "The Nutcracker." Box Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. On performance days, the box office will be open at noon and remain open until intermission of the day's final performance.  more...

• Sarasota Opera
  61 North Pinapple Avenue • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-366-8450
  An internationally respected opera company that produces the highest quality professional opera on a rotating basis from February to March. They also present concerts throughout the year. more...

• A Celtic Christmas
  64 North Pineapple Avenue • Sarasota, FL 34236
  The Sarasota Opera House
  941-366-8450
  The City of Sarasota Pipe Band presents its "Celtic Christmas Concert." The Night before Christmas, like it has never been told, will transcend you into the holiday spirit while capturing the Celtic flare of Christmas through traditional Scottish bagpiping, Irish dance, and classic holiday music. Performers will include "Rhythm in the Night," Paul Duffy, Sara Combs, Riverview High School & Sarasota Military Academy Bagpipers and Highland dancers. COSPB has also partnered with Toys-4-Tots to help those less fortunate during the yuletide season. Donations of unwrapped toys will be extremely appreciated at the front door. Will take place Sunday at 7 p.m. more...

Plays & Productions

• Asolo Theatre Company
  5555 North Tamiami Trail • Sarasota, FL 34243
  941-351-9010
  You can see four different plays in a single weekend by this professional company of actors that performs in classical rotating repertory form from November through June. more...

Arts & Crafts Shows

• Downtown Sarasota Craft Festival
  Main Street
  954-472-3755
  Annual Downtown Sarasota Craft Festival featuring over 100 crafters from across the country who will gather along downtown Sarasota’s Main Street to exhibit original hand-made crafts. The show will take place from 10 am to 5 pm.  more...

Festivals & Fairs

• Stone Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival
  1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive • Longboat Key, FL 34228
  Held at The Colony Beach & Tennis Resort
  941-383-6464
  Some of the United States' leading chefs and vintners will join guests for a long weekend of fine food and wine to celebrate the beginning of stone crab season at the annual Stone Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival. Events will include live music, cooking demonstrations, vintner presentations, and the Chefs Gala Collaboration Dinner. Named "the number one seafood and wine festival in the United States" by Coastal Living magazine, the Stone Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival will take place November 13-16, 2008. more...

• Oktoberfest Sarasota
  Located at Sarasota County Fairgrounds
  941-708-3456
  Enjoy three days of authentic Bavarian fun during this festival that includes a children's interactive area, ongoing Bavarian and alternative music in two venues, and delicious foods and drinks.

• Sarasota Film Festival
  635 Orange Avenue South • Sarasota, FL 34236
  941-364-9514
  The whole family will enjoy this ten day festival that includes a wide range of independent and international films, as well as family activities, parties, and symposiums. more...

• Family Rose Festival at the Ringling
  5401 Bay Shore Road • Sarasota, FL 34243
  941-359-5700 or 941-358-3180
  In honor of Mable Ringling's passion for gardening and roses, this annual festival, held from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., will have activities for rose enthusiasts and their families. Enjoy activites that will get your hands dirty as well as guided tours of the Rose Garden and workshops by leading regional & national rose experts.  more...

• Forks & Corks Food & Wine Festival
  5401 Bay Shore Road • Sarasota, FL 34243-2161
  The Ringling Museum
  This four-day culinary celebration brings together celebrated regional chefs, world renowned vintners and industry insiders. more...

Sporting Events

• Sarasota Kennel Club
  5400 Bradenton Road • Sarasota, FL 34234
  941-355-1112
  Live the excitement of greyhound racing sponsored by this kennel club at this facility that features live greyhound racing six days a week with matinees three days a week, as well as greyhound, horse, and harness racing simulcast daily. Two clubhouse dining areas are also on site, as well as numerous concession stands located all throughout the facility. more...