🌴 SARASOTA–VENICE–BRADENTON WEEKEND EVENT GUIDE
Friday, September 4 – Sunday, September 6, 2026
⭐ WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS
The biggest events this weekend include:
- 🎆 No Filter Concert & Fireworks — Wellen Park
- 🎸 Music on Main — Lakewood Ranch
- 🎬 The Princess Bride at Sarasota Opera House
- 🎭 Songbirds of the Seventies — Florida Studio Theatre
- 🦇 Bat Boy: The Musical — Siesta Key
- 🎨 17th Annual Venice Labor Day Weekend Craft Festival
- 🌴 Fins Up Forever — Jimmy Buffett Tribute
- ⚽ Sarasota Paradise vs. Spokane Velocity FC
- 💃 Black & White Party — Casey Key Resort
- 🧺 Sarasota, Venice, Siesta Key and Lakewood Ranch farmers markets
- 🦕 The Bishop Museum & Planetarium
- 🌿 Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
- 🎪 The Ringling
- 🎶 Numerous live-music opportunities around the area
🎉 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
🎆 No Filter Concert & Fireworks
6:00–9:30 PM
Location: Downtown Wellen Park, Venice
Cost: Free/community event
Description: A major Friday-night community celebration featuring No Filter performing live followed by a fireworks finale. Fireworks are weather dependent.
Great for: Families, couples, music fans and fireworks.
🎸 Music on Main — Jump Start Band
6:00–9:00 PM
Location: Lakewood Ranch Main Street, 8100 Lakewood Ranch Main St.
Cost: FREE
Description: One of Lakewood Ranch’s biggest recurring Friday-night community events. Jump Start Band performs classic, danceable rock from the 1960s–1980s. Food vendors, beer trucks, sponsor booths and children’s activities are part of the block-party atmosphere. Proceeds benefit Save Our Seabirds.
Great for: Families, dancing, food and live music.
🎶 Live Music at The Plaza
6:00–9:00 PM
Location: Waterside Place, 7500 Island Cove Terrace, Lakewood Ranch
Performer: Mylon Shamble
Cost: Free
Waterfront live music overlooking Kingfisher Lake.
🎬 The Princess Bride
7:00 PM
Location: Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota
Cost: $12
A big-screen presentation of the beloved 1987 fantasy adventure comedy starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin and André the Giant.
Phone: 941-328-1300
🎭 Songbirds of the Seventies
2:00, 6:00 & 9:00 PM
Location: Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota
Description: A musical celebration of powerful female singer-songwriters including Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Carly Simon, Helen Reddy, Stevie Nicks and Linda Ronstadt.
Phone: 941-366-9000
🦇 Bat Boy: The Musical
7:30–9:45 PM
Location: The Crossings at Siesta Key, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Description: A wild comedy-horror musical about a half-boy/half-bat creature discovered in a West Virginia cave. Recommended for ages 14+ because of adult material.
Phone: 941-365-2494
🌴 Fins Up Forever — Jimmy Buffett Tribute
7:00 PM
Location: The Venezia Hotel, 425 U.S. 41 Bypass N., Venice
Cost: Approximately $35.79–$39 including fees
Featuring Gypsies in Paradise, with Buffett favorites, tropical-rock atmosphere and pre-show tailgating. The event runs September 4–5.
Phone: 301-367-8118
🎶 Dean Johanesen at Calusa Brewing
6:00–8:30 PM
Location: Calusa Brewing, 5701 Derek Ave., Sarasota
Cost: FREE
Singer-songwriter Dean Johanesen performs swing-inflected folk and roots music. Food is available from PigFish.
🧺 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
🛍️ 17th Annual Labor Day Weekend Venice Craft Festival
10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Location: Downtown Venice, Miami Avenue West
Cost: FREE
Nearly 100 artists and crafters showcase jewelry, ceramics, coastal décor, artwork, candles and other handmade goods. Pet-friendly and very walkable.
Great for: Families, shopping, art lovers and downtown Venice.
🧺 SATURDAY FARMERS MARKETS
Sarasota Farmers Market
7:00 AM–1:00 PM
Downtown Sarasota, Lemon Avenue area
Produce, seafood, flowers, prepared foods, artisan products and local vendors.
Phone: 941-225-9256
Central Sarasota Farmers Market
8:00 AM–1:00 PM
Produce, eggs, plants, baked goods, coffee, honey, meats and artisan vendors.
Newtown Farmers Market
10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, Sarasota
Fresh produce, local goods and small-business vendors.
Venice Farmers Market
8:00 AM–1:00 PM
Location: Venice City Hall, 401 W. Venice Ave.
Produce, seafood, baked goods, prepared foods, artisan vendors and live music.
🌿 Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
Yoga in the Gardens
9:30–10:30 AM
Location: Downtown Sarasota campus, 1534 Mound St.
Cost: Admission/class pricing applies.
A peaceful morning yoga session surrounded by the gardens. The class is open to adults of all skill levels.
Phone: 941-366-5731
Also on view is Shared Light: Lynn Goldsmith, featuring photography connected with artist Patti Smith, running through September 13.
🪐 The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
Saturday family activities
Location: 201 10th St. W., Bradenton
The Bishop offers museum exhibits, the Mosaic Backyard Universe and Planetarium programming.
Important update: September’s scheduled Space Saturday has been moved from September 5 to September 12, so it is not taking place this Saturday.
The regular Saturday Planetarium schedule includes:
- 11:15 AM — Ted’s Space Adventure
- 12:15 PM — Forward! To the Moon
- 1:15 PM — Mars: The Ultimate Voyage
- 2:30 PM — Eyes on the Sky
- 3:30 PM — Mysteries of Your Brain
Phone: 941-746-4131
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature
🎶 Waterside Place — Mike Williams
6:00–9:00 PM
Location: The Plaza at Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch
Performer: Mike Williams — acoustic covers
Cost: FREE
⚽ Sarasota Paradise vs. Spokane Velocity FC
7:30–10:00 PM
Location: Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch
Professional soccer under the lights.
💃 Black & White Party — Casey Key Resort
7:00–11:00 PM
Location: Casey Key Resort Mainland, 1660 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey
Cost: No cover
Age: 21+
DJ Harry Wright provides Disco, Funk, Latin, Top 40, R&B and ’80s/’90s hits. There are prizes for best-dressed guests.
Osprey Nokomis Chamber event information
🎶 MORE LAKEWOOD RANCH SATURDAY NIGHT MUSIC
Remy’s on Main
6:00–9:00 PM
Rotating local musicians.
Ed’s Tavern
8:00 PM–midnight
Live music Friday and Saturday nights.
Peculiar Pub
8:00–11:00 PM
Live local music.
Allswell
9:00 PM–midnight
Live DJ.
The Lounge at Good Liquid Distilling Co.
9:00 PM–midnight
DJ night.
🌴 SIESTA KEY SATURDAY
Siesta Key / Captain Curt’s Village
Sniki Tiki Afternoon Live Music
1:00–5:00 PM
Sniki Tiki Full Band Night
6:00–10:00 PM
Location: Captain Curt’s Village, Siesta Key
Regular weekend live entertainment makes this a popular afternoon-to-evening stop.
Captain Curt’s Sniki Tiki Bar & Live Entertainment – Siesta Key
Phone: 941-349-3885
🦇 SATURDAY NIGHT THEATER
Bat Boy: The Musical
7:30–9:45 PM
The Crossings at Siesta Key.
Songbirds of the Seventies
2:00 & 6:00 PM
Florida Studio Theatre.
Fins Up Forever
7:00 PM
Venezia Hotel, Venice.
Arsenic and Old Lace
7:30–10:00 PM
Location: Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 3rd Ave. W., Bradenton.
A classic dark comedy about two seemingly sweet elderly aunts, poison, murder and a chaotic family. The production runs through September 13.
🌅 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
🧺 Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch
10:00 AM–2:00 PM
Location: Waterside Place, Lakewood Ranch
Cost: FREE
One of the area’s largest Sunday markets, with 100+ vendors, produce, flowers, specialty foods, local makers, live music and children’s activities.
🧺 Siesta Key Farmers Market
9:00 AM–12:00 PM
Location: Siesta Key Village Plaza
Produce, crafts, organic products and prepared foods.
🧺 Fresh Harvest Farmers Market at Wellen Park
9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Location: Downtown Wellen Park, Venice
Fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, seafood, flowers and local products.
🧺 North River Community Market
10:00 AM–2:00 PM
Location: The Yard at Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa, Palmetto
A monthly first-Sunday market with 70+ vendors, food trucks, local products, live music and family activities.
🎨 Venice Craft Festival — Day 2
10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Location: Downtown Venice, Miami Avenue West
Cost: FREE
Continue browsing the 17th annual festival featuring handmade artwork, jewelry, ceramics, coastal décor and other crafts.
🦇 Bat Boy: The Musical
7:30–9:45 PM
Location: The Crossings at Siesta Key
Sunday is the final scheduled performance of this production.
🎭 Songbirds of the Seventies
2:00–3:30 PM and 7:30–9:00 PM
Location: Florida Studio Theatre, Sarasota
Final weekend performances of the summer cabaret celebrating the great female singer-songwriters of the 1960s and ’70s.
🎭 Arsenic and Old Lace
2:00–4:30 PM
Location: Manatee Performing Arts Center, Bradenton
Sunday afternoon performance of the classic comedy.
🎶 SUNDAY LIVE MUSIC
Sniki Tiki — Captain Curt’s Village
1:00–5:00 PM: Afternoon live music
6:00–10:00 PM: Full-band entertainment
Wellen Park
Daily live music continues at Downtown Wellen Park, with rotating musicians beneath the Heritage Tree overlooking Grand Lake.
🎪 THE RINGLING — GREAT WEEKEND FAMILY ACTIVITY
Location: 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota
Hours: 10 AM–5 PM
A strong family choice even without a special weekend event. The current Canvas City: The Materials of the Tented Circus exhibition looks behind the scenes at circus production, with more than 1,500 objects including costumes, photographs, circus equipment and related artifacts.
🌿 MORE THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
1534 Mound St., Sarasota
10 AM–5 PM
Adults $28, ages 5–17 $12, ages 4 and under free.
Historic Spanish Point
401 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey
Part of the Selby Gardens system and a good choice for gardens, historic buildings and walking trails.
Sarasota beaches
Siesta Beach, Lido Beach, Venice Beach and Nokomis Beach remain excellent options for a morning beach visit, sunset walk or picnic.
🎵 SIESTA KEY LIVE-MUSIC VENUES
For someone looking for the bar-and-live-music scene, these are the places I’d put on the weekend list:
- Siesta Key Oyster Bar — 5238 Ocean Blvd.; 941-346-5443
- Captain Curt’s Sniki Tiki Bar & Live Entertainment – Siesta Key — 1204 Old Stickney Point Rd.; 941-349-3885
- The Big Tiki Lounge — 5311 Ocean Blvd.; 941-220-6478
- Cadillac Jack’s Honky Tonk Saloon — 5247 S. Tamiami Trail; 941-921-2031
Note: These venues regularly feature live entertainment, but I did not find sufficiently reliable current web listings for every individual performer on September 4–6, so I have not invented band names.
🎭 MAJOR PERFORMING-ARTS VENUES TO WATCH
Florida Studio Theatre
1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota
941-366-9000
This weekend: Songbirds of the Seventies.
Sarasota Opera
61 N. Pineapple Ave.
941-328-1300
Friday: The Princess Bride, 7 PM, $12.
Venice Performing Arts Center
1 Indian Ave., Venice
941-218-3779
There is no major public VPAC performance showing for September 4–6 on its current 2026 calendar; the next listed season events begin later in October.
Asolo Repertory Theatre
The main Asolo Rep season is between productions during this particular Labor Day weekend, so I did not find a September 4–6 performance to list.
🏆 MY PICKS FOR THE WEEKEND
| If you want… | Best choice |
|---|---|
| 🎆 Fireworks | Wellen Park – No Filter |
| 🎸 Free live music | Music on Main |
| 👨👩👧 Family activity | Ringling or Bishop Museum |
| 🎨 Art/shopping | Venice Craft Festival |
| 🧺 Farmers market | Sarasota Farmers Market Saturday |
| 🌴 Beach + market | Siesta Key Sunday |
| 🎭 Theater | Songbirds of the Seventies |
| 🦇 Unusual theater | Bat Boy |
| 🌴 Jimmy Buffett | Fins Up Forever |
| ⚽ Sports | Sarasota Paradise soccer |
| 💃 Dancing | Casey Key Black & White Party |
| 🌿 Gardens | Selby Gardens |
| 🪐 Science | Bishop Museum/Planetarium |
A note about the Bishop
The Bishop’s September Space Saturday was moved from September 5 to September 12, so don’t make a special trip expecting the Space Saturday program this weekend. Regular museum/Planetarium programming remains separately scheduled.
Farmers-market roundup
For this specific Sept. 4–6 weekend, the markets I could verify in your requested geographic area are Newtown, Sarasota Farmers Market, Central Sarasota Farmers Market, Venice Farmers Market, Siesta Key Farmers Market, Fresh Harvest at Wellen Park, Lakewood Ranch Farmers Market and North River Community Market.
I also checked the seasonal markets: for example, the traditional Englewood Farmers Market operates October–May, so it isn’t part of this September weekend list.
