Fall is here—and while changing leaves and colder temperatures aren’t typical signs of the changing season in sunny Sarasota, our jam-packed events calendar sure is! With everything from jazz concerts to pumpkin festivals, Sarasota is going to keep you busy this October.
Fall Festivals
The Ringling International Arts Festival brings world premieres in art, theatre, dance and music to Sarasota from October 7-11, 2009. The artistic affair kicks off in the late evening on Wednesday, October 7 with its opening night festivities featuring the Florida State University Symphony.
From Thursday, October 8 through Sunday, October 11, take in free stage performances in the Festival Café. Pick and choose which afternoon and evening productions suit your tastes best—modern dance, flamenco, or theatre. Enjoy chamber music or literary interpretations in the late evening, followed by Festival Jazz Nights. If you miss a performance you wanted to see, don’t worry—you can likely catch the same show on another day during the festival.
Festival Jazz Nights take place in the late evening on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Check out the Ear-riginals, as well as jazz pianist Herb Silverstel in the Visitors Pavilion. On Sunday, October 11 wind dowhn and fill up at the Festival Brunch at Ringling Museum’s beautiful Treviso Restaurant.
For more information, visit http://ringlingartsfestival.org.
The first annual Pumpkin Festival hits Sarasota this Halloween on Friday and Saturday, October 30-31, 2009. The event will undoubtedly become a new Sarasota tradition with all of the fun it has in store. Carnival rides and games, live music, pie-eating contests, and food and drinks (including a beer garden) are just a few of the event’s draws. Go on a hay ride with your family and friends, bring the kids to play in the inflatable rides in the fun zone, take a tour of the “Not-so-Scary Haunted House”, and, of course, go trick or treating!
The event’s claim to fame is its pumpkin presentation, which will serve as a memorial to our fallen soldiers. The goal is to create a wall of Jack-O-Lanterns that will light up the night sky. Bring a pumpkin along with a one dollar donation and get ready to have a spook-tacular time! The event runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. both days at Phillippi Estate Park, 5500 S. Tamiami Trl., Sarasota. There is no admission and all proceeds from the pumpkin festival will go to All Children’s Hospital and the Fallen Warriors Foundation.
For more information, visit http://sarasotapumpkinfestival.eventbrite.com.
October heats up with the Sarasota Hispanic Latino Festival, held Saturday, October 3, 2009 in downtown Sarasota (Main St. and Osprey Ave. across from the Sarasota Herald Tribune). The event, now in its fifth year, features music, Hispanic/Latino dance, food, and arts and crafts. With an estimated crowd of over 8,000, the festival promotes Hispanic/Latino culture in the Sarasota area while teaching Latino youth financial responsibility and promoting growth through arts and music.
For more information, visit http://www.hispaniclatinofestival.com.
The Sarasota Hungarian Festival takes place on Sunday, October 18, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club, 2926 Wilkinson Rd., Sarasota. Music, food and drinks, arts and crafts, and games are great excuses to bring the whole family. Admission is $5; children under 10 get in free.
For more information, visit http://www.globalfriendshipfoundation.org.
The October Jazz Festival, presented by the Jazz Club of Sarasota, takes place from October 23-25, 2009 at the Holiday Inn at the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport, 8009 15th St., Sarasota. There will be five concerts over the weekend. Check out Pepper and Fine Thyme, The Katt Hefner Group featuring Kenny Drew, Jr. and John Lamb, The Dan McMillion Group, The Valerie Gillespie Ensemble, and Ben Roberts with Phil Picciotti. Tickets are $15 for afternoon performances and $20 for night performances ($10 and $15, respectively, for members). The cost of a concert package is $60 ($45 for members). During the weekend, the hotel will also be holding drawings for free weekend stays and dinners at the Holiday Inn.
Local musicians are also invited to jam after the performances. For more information, visit http://www.jazzclubsarasota.com.
The 19th annual Sarasota Blues Festival takes place on October 24, 2009 at Ed Smith Stadium Complex, 2700 12th St., Sarasota. Grab your blankets and lawn chairs and head out for a day of live music featuring Little Feat, Duke Robillard, Larry McCray, Bruce Katz with Floyd Miles, Allstars, and the Mojo Myles Band. Tickets are available online, at the Five O’Clock Club, and at Rossiter’s Harley Davidson for $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show.
For more information, visit http://www.sarasotabluesfest.com.
Celebrate the arts at the 15th annual Sarasota Art and Craft Festival. Running October 17-18, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, the event gives locals and visitors the opportunity to check out artists and crafters in beautiful downtown Sarasota. The 21st annual St. Armands Art Festival brings 150 artists together in one of Sarasota’s most spectacular shopping destinations. The event takes place October 10-11, 2009.
For more information on both festivals, visit http://www.artfestival.com.
Sarasota Frights and Delights
Start the Halloween festivities early at the Sarasota Zombie Pub Crawl on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Check in begins at 3 p.m. and the event begins at 4 p.m. at the Danish Bakehouse, 2110 Gulf Gate Dr., Sarasota. The crawl will take place at all of the Gulf Gate bars. Pre-register for $20 online at http://www.sarasotazombiepubcrawl.com. The first 50 zombies to register get a goody bag filled with promo items, savings, and spooky surprises. The website also has fun tips to become a zombie for the event or for Halloween!
The House of Terror Haunted House at the PAL Sailor Circus, 2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota, may be the scariest haunted house on the Suncoast! Pop in from 7-11 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during the last two weeks in October.
Benefit the Arthritis Foundation by running or walking at Creaky Bones III. Your 5K run or walk will help out a worthy cause and work out your body for your Halloween costume! The event takes place on Saturday, October 18, 2009 at Payne Park, 2000 Adams Ln., Sarasota.
For more information, visit http://www.runnergirl.com/races/creaky/creaky.html.
If haunted houses and trick or treating aren’t your scene, perhaps a black-tie gala will suit your fancy. Mote Marine’s Annual Oceanic Evening takes place on Saturday, October 31, 2009 from 6:30 p.m.-11 p.m. at Mote Marine, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy., Sarasota. The gala benefits Mote Marine Laboratory’s research. Guests will be treated to an evening of dinner, cocktails and dancing at the aquarium.
For reservations and more information, contact Vicki Wiese at Vicki@mote.org.
For more Mote Marine fun, check out Sharktoberfest on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. in October, 2009. Children who wear their Halloween costumes will get a treat bag and free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. This offer is only valid on weekends in October for one child with each paying adult. Normal rates are $12 for children ages 4-12, $17 for adults and $16 for seniors ages 65 and older. Mote members and children under 3 get in free.
For more information on Mote events, visit www.mote.org or call 941-388-4441
Get cultured this October and take in a play at the Asolo Repertory Theatre. Contact begins October 23, 2009 (and runs through November 22). The production, the result of the Asolo’s collaboration with the Sarasota Ballet, is a love story—a little something different for the Halloween season. New Stages, running from October 16-30, 2009, is an educational experience for elementary and middle school-aged audiences. The intent of the production is to help educators and students incorporate theatre into learning and their everyday lives.
For more information, visit http://asolo.org.
Spend Halloween eve at the Sarasota Opera House with a showing of Verdi’s La Traviata. The performance begins at 8 p.m. on Friday, October 30, 2009.
For more information, visit http://www.sarasotaopera.org.
No matter what you’re in the mood for this October—an educational experience, a wild party, or some family fun—you certainly won’t have a frightful time. Sarasota has it all!
