Now that Fourth of July festivities have concluded, it’s time to celebrate the next holiday, which is…Christmas?
Downtown Venice will host its annual Christmas in July event this weekend, featuring deals and specials at participating restaurants and retail businesses and multiple chances to meet Santa. July also marks Park & Recreation Month, which the City of Sarasota will celebrate with a series of free, family-friendly events, starting with one Friday.
The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton’s series of laser light shows set to music by some of the biggest names in pop and rock will continue this weekend, as will two movie screening series in eye-catching venues — the century-old Sarasota Opera House and the Atlanta Braves’ North Port spring training home CoolToday Park.
Looking for even more options? University Town Center will also celebrate Christmas in July this month, and while this event isn’t on the weekend, it may be of interest to pet owners in particular. Barks & Brews will host a special howl-iday edition 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at The Green at UTC. Bring your friendly dogs on a leash for photos with Santa and more.
1. Christmas in July in downtown Venice
The early Christmas celebration in downtown Venice will feature deals and specials at participating restaurants and retail businesses, gift basket raffle, find the elf scavenger hunt, and ornament-making at Venice Theatre.
And it wouldn’t be Christmas without Santa, so there will be multiple chances to meet him including Friday at 10 a.m. for breakfast or coffee at Lord-Higel’s Coffee House and 11:30 a.m. for lunch at Venice Wine & Coffee Co. Santa will also appear 9-10 a.m. Saturday at Venice Florida Farmers Market, 10-11 a.m. at the fire station next to City Hall, and noon at Seed and Bean Market.
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Downtown Venice District, 200 W. Venice Ave., Venice; 941-484-6722; visitvenicefl.org/event/christmas-in-july-2026
2. Field Day at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex in Sarasota
The City of Sarasota will celebrate Park & Recreation Month with multiple free, family-friendly events in July, starting with this field day at Robert L. Taylor Community Complex featuring sports activities, backyard games, Italian ice and a dunk tank where you can try to soak Parks & Rec staff.
Other upcoming events will include July 17 at Payne Park Amphitheatre, with inflatables and large-format versions of tabletop games such as Jenga and Connect Four as well as food trucks, and July 24 at Arlington Park and Aquatic Complex with Chalk the Trail, featuring a variety of chalk activities.
9:30-11:30 a.m. Friday; Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 34th St., Sarasota; free; letsplaysarasota.com
3. Laser Light Nights at The Bishop Museum in Bradenton
After a weeklong break due to Fourth of July, the summer series of laser light shows set to pop and rock music, held in the planetarium of The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature in Bradenton, will continue this weekend.
Friday will feature the music of Journey, the rock band currently on their farewell tour, and The Weekend, the Canadian contemporary R&B/pop singer. Saturday will showcase the songs of classic pop-rock acts Elton John and ABBA. Rounding out this week’s lineup Thursday will be “Cosmic Chill,” which — with a set list including Cheech & Chong, Musical Youth’s “Pass the Dutchie” and Sublime’s “Smoke Two Joints” — we’ll let you guess the theme of.
6 p.m. Thursday and 6 and 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton; $15 per show; 941-746-4131; bishopscience.org
4. ‘Dead Again’ at Sarasota Opera House
Sarasota Opera House’s Classic Movies at the Opera House summer series will continue this week with the 1991 Kenneth Branagh-directed neo-noir “Dead Again.”
The film, also starring Branagh as a private detective who takes on the case of a mute and amnesiac woman (Emma Thompson), is a somewhat surprising choice — given the Opera House is a performing arts/stage venue, one might’ve thought they’d be more interested in one of Branagh’s multiple Shakespeare adaptations. Yet “Dead Again” did earn acclaim upon release, including a four-star review by Roger Ebert, and is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
7 p.m. Friday; Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; $12; 941-328-1300; sarasotaopera.org
5. ‘Lilo & Stitch’ at CoolToday Park
Another movie screening will take place this weekend when the Atlanta Braves’ North Port spring training home CoolToday Park features 2025’s “Lilo & Stitch” in its Summer Movie Nights series.
Based on the 2002 Disney animated film of the same name, “Lilo & Stitch” follows the creature Stitch who’s adopted by a Hawaiian girl named Lilo. Although the film (like most of Disney’s live-action remakes) did not earn especially strong reviews, it was an enormous hit, making more than $1 billion to become 2025’s fourth highest-grossing film, with a sequel planned for release in 2028.
5 p.m. Sunday; CoolToday Park, 18800 S. West Villages Parkway, North Port; $7, $3 ages 4-9, free ages 3 and under; 941-413-5000; cooltodaypark.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 Sarasota area events this weekend include Christmas in July
Reporting by Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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By Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
