It’s a January weekend full of festivals here in the Sarasota area, with fests featuring wine and dining, seafood and music, and arts and crafts all making their returns.
A circus that just recently visited Englewood will next head to Sarasota, a city with plenty of circus history, while Manatee County Fair will conclude its 2026 edition this weekend.
Looking for even more options? Along with the aforementioned Sarasota art festival (and sister craft festival), there’ll also be the free admission Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival at 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Lakewood Ranch’s Main Street.
Sarasota Municipal Auditorium will host the Sarasota Antiques Show at 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday (admission is $8), while Sahib Shrine Center will host reptile and exotic animal expo ReptiDay 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday (admission is $12, $6 ages 5-12, free younger.) The free admission Bradenton Punk Rock Flea Market will also return noon-6 p.m. Sunday to Oscura with more than 50 vendors, food trucks and live music.
Finally, downtown Sarasota park The Bay will continue its free outdoor movie series Cinema at the Bay with a screening of the 2004 Ray Charles biopic “Ray” at 7 p.m. Thursday. While the film features many of the musical biopic tropes lampooned a few years later by 2007’s “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” “Ray” is still worth watching for the Oscar-winning turn by Jamie Foxx who, along with his Oscar-nominated role in “Collateral,” had a strong 2004.
1. Sarasota-Manatee Originals’ Forks & Corks Food and Wine Festival
The Sarasota-Manatee Originals, a collection of more than 70 independently owned restaurants, hosts this 19th annual food and wine festival that returns this week.
Forks & Corks’ most popular event — a Sunday Grand Tasting in The Ringling’s courtyard with signature dishes from more than 40 Sarasota-Manatee Originals member restaurants, samples of more than 350 wines, live music and a wine retail tent — has sold out, though a waitlist is available. The festival features a retail tasting as well, along with multiple winemaker dinners and master classes.
Thursday, Jan. 22-Monday; various venues; event prices vary; 941-365-2800; eatlikealocal.com/forksandcorks
2. Coquina Beach Seafood and Music Festival on Anna Maria Island
The Lakewood Ranch-based Paragon Festivals, which puts on Sarasota Seafood and Music Festival and similar festivals across Florida, will return this weekend with this event at Coquina Beach on Anna Maria Island.
The free, three-day festival features seafood favorites, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, live music and an arts and crafts marketplace. Those scheduled to perform include guitarist, singer-songwriter and former Anna Maria Island resident Damon Fowler, whose 2021 full-length “Alafia Moon” topped the Billboard blues albums chart and earned a Blues Music Award nomination for Blues Rock Album, according to Fowler’s website.
4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday; Coquina Beach, 2650 Gulf Drive S., Bradenton Beach; free admission; 941-487-8061; paragonfestivals.com
3. Mr. Swindle’s Traveling Peculiarium at Sarasota Fairgrounds
After kicking off a string of dates at Englewood’s Pioneer Plaza, the circus Mr. Swindle’s Traveling Peculiarium will next head to Sarasota Fairgrounds this week, running through the following weekend.
The 90-minute, ages-18-and-up show features vintage amusement, live acrobats and comedy, plus a Dr. Elixir’s Drink-Ory Garden that opens an hour prior to showtime. Mr. Swindle’s Traveling Peculiarium’s future dates also include a Feb. 5-8 stint at Punta Gorda’s Laishley Park.
Thursday, Jan. 22-Feb. 1; Sarasota Fairgrounds, 3000 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota; ticket prices vary; 941-445-7309; mrswindles.com
4. Manatee County Fair in Palmetto
The 110th annual Manatee County Fair, one of the first big Florida fairs of the year, returned to Palmetto last week and will conclude this weekend.
The eleven-day fair features rides, games, food, live entertainment, pageants, competitions, arts and crafts, livestock shows and more.
Through Sunday; Manatee County Fairgrounds, 1402 14th Ave. W., Palmetto; $8 advance, $10 day of daily admission, $6 ages 6-12 and military with active status ID, free ages 5 and under, $10 parking, with special pricing days and fair armband specials; 941-722-1639; manateecountyfair.com
5. St. Armands Circle Art Festival in Sarasota
The 23rd annual St. Armands Circle Art Festival will return this weekend, with the free, two-day outdoor event featuring gallery-style booths and mediums including sculpture, jewelry and more.
While on St. Armands Circle, perhaps stop in for a bite at one of the new restaurants in the dining and shopping district, such as Nōnnō Umberto Italian. Seafood. Steakhouse and Le Shop. Or make it a day of arts and crafts and travel to the Downtown Venice Craft Festival, which takes place on the same days and times (10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday) and is put on by the same organization, Howard Alan Events.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle, Sarasota; free admission; 561-746-6615; artfestival.com
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 food, art fests
Reporting by Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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