Arguably the biggest March event in the Sarasota area will return this weekend, as the 90th annual Sarasota County Fair kicks off Friday.
There’ll also be multiple St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, ranging from the grown-up (a block party at a historic downtown Sarasota bar) to the family-friendly (a parade on Anna Maria Island.)
Taking place in Manatee County as well will be a free, three-day seafood and music festival in Bradenton, while downtown Sarasota will also serve as the site for two free outdoor screenings: one an Irish film fitting for St. Patrick’s Day, the other a family movie night.
Looking for even more options? While we didn’t include any St. Patrick’s Day events on March 17 proper because that falls on a Tuesday this year, there’ll be numerous options if you’d rather celebrate then. Molly’s in downtown Sarasota, Clancy’s in Bradenton, Freckled Fin Irish Pub on Holmes Beach and Celtic Ray in Punta Gorda are among the area Irish bars holding events on St. Patrick’s Day. For more information, check the bars’ Facebook event pages.
1. Sarasota County Fair at Sarasota Fairgrounds
After Manatee County Fair in January and Charlotte County Fair in February, it’s now Sarasota County’s turn, as its 90th annual fair returns this weekend to Sarasota Fairgrounds.
This year features a new fair midway with rides courtesy of Deggeller Attractions, coming to Sarasota just a few days after Florida Strawberry Festival, which they also provide the midway for. The fair will also feature food, a beer garden, live music and other entertainment, and animals including livestock exhibits.
Friday-March 22; Sarasota Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota; $10 online, $12 at gate adults, $5 online, $6 at gate ages 6-12, $6 seniors ages 55 and up/military, free ages 5 and under, with admission specials; 941-365-0818; sarasotafair.com
2. St. Patrick’s Day Block Party at Gator Club in downtown Sarasota
If you’re looking for the biggest St. Patrick’s Day party taking place on the weekend, as opposed to March 17 proper, head over to downtown Sarasota’s Gator Club, named one of the best bars in the country by USA TODAY in 2024.
Gator Club regularly takes advantage of its central location on Main Street and Lemon Avenue, and its two-level historic building, to host holiday-themed block parties with music on multiple stages. For St. Patrick’s Day, it’ll feature DJ Kelly Crawford and DJ CTRL on an outside stage at 6 p.m., pop/rock/dance cover band Johnny Diamond on the inside stage at 9 p.m., and DJ Gator Ryan on the dance floor at 10 p.m. There’ll also be food trucks.
6 p.m.-midnight Saturday; Gator Club, 1490 Main St. Sarasota; 941-366-5969; facebook.com/thegatorclubsrq
3. St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Anna Maria Island
If you’re hoping to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day early this weekend, but are looking for something perhaps a bit more family-friendly than partying at Gator Club, there’s also this annual holiday parade on Anna Maria Island.
The parade will start at Holmes Beach City Hall, proceeding to 58th Street, Marina Drive, Palm Drive, Gulf Drive, Pine Avenue, Tarpon Street and Magnolia Avenue, ending at The Center of Anna Maria Island.
4-6 p.m. Sunday; Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach; 941-778-1908; centerami.org/events
4. Manatee County Seafood & Music Festival at Bradenton’s G.T. Bray Park
The Lakewood Ranch-based Paragon Festivals, which hosts seafood and music festivals throughout Florida, will next head to G.T. Bray Park in Bradenton.
The free, three-day festival will feature seafood, meat and vegetarian entrees, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, side dishes, desserts, live music and an arts and crafts marketplace. Musicians will include local reggae favorites Jah Movement and “Siberian surf rock” band Igor & the Red Elvises, who both perform Saturday.
4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; G.T. Bray Park, 2910 51st St. W., Bradenton; free; 941-487-8061; paragonfestivals.com
5. ‘The Commitments,’ ‘Free Willy’ at The Bay in downtown Sarasota
Downtown Sarasota park The Bay’s free outdoor movie series Cinema at the Bay will host two screenings, each with different meanings of “Good to Be Green”: one, St. Patrick’s Day, the other, the environment.
Thursday will feature “The Commitments,” the Oscar-nominated 1991 film about an Irish soul band, on its 35th anniversary. (Fun fact: Paul Duffy, an area musician and owner of the former Irish Rover in Sarasota, played in a touring version of The Commitments for years.) Friday will be a special family movie night screening of “Free Willy,” the 1993 film about a boy who befriends a captive orca. “The Commitments” is rated R, and “Free Willy” is rated PG.
7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota; free; 941-203-5316; thebaysarasota.org
Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at jimmy.geurts@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 5 things to do in Sarasota this weekend include fair, block party
Reporting by Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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