Top things to do in the Sarasota area this weekend will include a local celebration for an international event, as soccer team Sarasota Paradise hosts a final free World Cup watch party Sunday.
Those who didn’t get an invitation to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s recent wedding can celebrate the pop star at a Swift double feature in The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature’s continuing Laser Light Nights series.
Other returning events will include a Sarasota summer circus show, now less than a month from closing, with two movie screenings rounding out this weekend’s lineup.
Looking for even more options? The City of Sarasota’s Park & Recreation Month celebrations, which we detailed last week, will continue with a free event 9:30-11:30 a.m. Friday at Payne Park Amphitheatre featuring inflatables and large-format versions of tabletop games such as Jenga and Connect Four as well as food trucks.
As we also mentioned last week, University Town Center is celebrating Christmas in July with a variety of events. That will include a special Christmas in July-themed edition of their monthly UTC Night Market, featuring Santa and snow along with local vendors and live music by Keith James Band, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Thursday. Bradenton’s Village of the Arts neighborhood will also host a Christmas in July Third Saturday Market 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.
1. World Cup Final Watch Party at Premier Sports Campus
After kicking off more than a month ago, FIFA World Cup 2026 will come to a close this weekend with Sunday’s final, and a Sarasota group that has been celebrating all along will hold a final round of festivities.
Soccer club Sarasota Paradise will conclude its series of free World Cup watch parties at downtown Sarasota park the Bay with this event for the World Cup final.
2 p.m. doors, 3 p.m. kickoff Sunday; The Bay, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota; free; 941-206-0687; sarasotaparadise.us
2. Laser Light Nights at The Bishop
The summer series of laser light shows set to rock and pop music and held in the planetarium of The Bishop Museum in Bradenton will continue this weekend, featuring one of today’s biggest pop stars.
You probably didn’t get an invite to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding, but you can still celebrate Swift and her music at a Friday double feature. More into classic rock? There will also be a double-header of Pink Floyd “The Wall” and “The Dark Side of the Moon” shows Saturday, with Queen on Thursday rounding out this week’s lineup.
6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday; The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton; $35 Taylor Swift double feature, $15 other shows; 941-746-4131; bishopscience.org
3. Summer Circus Spectacular at Historic Asolo Theater
If you haven’t yet caught this annual collaboration between Sarasota’s Circus Arts Conservatory and The Ringling, held at the Historic Asolo Theater on the latter’s campus, you have less than a month now before it closes Aug. 8.
The show features circus artists including Duo Transcend, who have appeared on “America’s Got Talent,” as well as ringmaster Ashley Vargas, clowning/slack wire act Davis Vassallo, juggler Noel Aguilar, aerialist Emma Grace Clarke and hand-balancing act Yelitza Vivas. Attendees can pay an additional $5 for admission to The Ringling’s Circus Museum.
Through Aug. 8; Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota; $20, $15 ages 12 and under; 941-360-7399; ringling.org
4. ‘Come What May’ screening at Burns Court Cinemas
Sarasota’s Burns Court Cinemas will host a one-night-only screening of “Come What May,” a documentary about the late comedian Ralphie May, with co-director, May’s widow and fellow comic Lahna Turner taking part in a Q&A — not far from McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, where both comedians have previously performed.
The documentary features candid interviews and never-before-seen archival footage, with appearances by Jay Leno, Jay Mohr, Tiffany Haddish, Jeff Ross, Maz Jobrani, Alonzo Bodden, Russell Peters, Kevin Smith and Dr. Drew Pinsky. Turner says May’s signature orange jacket will also be present at the screening for photo opportunities.
6:30 p.m. Friday; Burns Court Cinemas, 506 Burns Court, Sarasota; $12, $6 members; 941-955-3456; filmsociety.org
5. ‘Superman’ at CoolToday Park
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s “Superman,” the latest screening in the Summer Movie Nights series held at the Atlanta Braves’ North Port spring training home CoolToday Park.
The 2025 superhero film stars David Corenswet as The Man of Steel, Rachel Brosnahan as his romantic interest Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as his foe Lex Luthor. Corenswet’s Superman also appeared in this summer’s “Supergirl,” and is set to take the lead again in next year’s “Man of Tomorrow.”
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 things to do in Sarasota area this weekend include World Cup
Reporting by Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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By Jimmy Geurts, Sarasota Herald-Tribune | USA TODAY Network
