Admission is free at the Sarasota Art Museum every second Sunday of the month, and Sarasota County Library’s Pop Up Library will be present with limited services and a craft on Sunday, September 13!

Enjoy a relaxing morning of coloring at Gulf Gate Library on Monday, September 14!

Learn how to make Quick and Healthy Meals with Chef Warren at Osprey Library on Tuesday, September 15!

*Registration required.

Attend the Art, Actually Speaker Series at Art Center Sarasota on Wednesday, September 16!

*$15 for New Friends of the Art Center. Free for Members.

Create a collage at Selby Library on Thursday, September 17!

*Registration required.

The Downtown Venice September Sidewalk Sale is on Friday and Saturday, September 18-19!

Watch Dukes of Brinkley perform on the City Center Front Green on Friday, September 18!

The North Port Community Yard Sale is on Saturday, September 19!

The Downtown Venice September Sidewalk Sale is on Friday and Saturday, September 18-19!

The League of Women Voters of Sarasota County is holding a Voter Information Fair at Shannon Staub Library on Saturday, September 19!

Event details:

·      Brief talks on what every voter needs to know before Election Day

·      One-on-one voter registration assistance

·      Create a personalized sample ballot on LWV’s on-line voter guide - VOTE411.org

·      Review voter ID requirements

·      Easy to understand information on ballot amendments

·      Free raffle drawings

Election Talks

11:30 - 1:00

·       The Sarasota County Ballot Referendums

·       The Florida Ballot Amendments

·       How to Use LWV’s Vote411 Voter Guide

·       The New Florida Voter Identification Requirements for 2027

Enjoy a Candlelight Concert at St. Boniface Episcopal Church on Saturday, September 19!

*Tickets required.

The Enviro Race 5K is on Sunday, September 20 in Downtown Venice!

The Sarasota Opera performs Don Quixote on Sunday, September 20!

*Tickets required.

The Gulf Coast Mineral Fossil and Gem Club meets the third Monday of each month, and everyone is welcome! The goal of the club is to: “promote, educate, and instruct in the many fields of earth sciences, fossil and mineral specimen collecting, and jewelry design.”

Play Mahjong at Elsie Quirk Library on Tuesday, September 22!

*Registration is required.

The OneBlood Bus will be at North Port Library on Wednesday, September 23!

Enjoy a Morning Brew Coffee Club + Book Swap at Jacaranda Library on Thursday, September 24!

Mother & Son Night at North Port Aquatic Center is on Friday, September 25!

*Pre-registration is required.

The VMS Friday Night Concert: Rocky Rick is on Friday, September 25 at Centennial Park!

The Sarasota Opera Food & Wine Festival is on Saturday, September 26!

*VIP Early Entry: 12:30 PM | $150 Per Person (Limited)

*General Admission: 1 PM | $75 Per Person in Advance | $85 Per Person at the Door

The Venice Beach Party, featuring live music, food trucks, and drinks is on Saturday, September 26!

Shirley St. John performs at Centennial Park on Sunday, September 27!

The Venice Coin & Currency Club meets the 4th Monday of each month.

The CoolToday Park Facility Tour is on Tuesday, September 29!

*Tickets required.

Work on your writing projects in the company of other writers at Betty J. Johnson North Sarasota Library on Wednesday, September 30!

*Registration required.

Needle felt a turtle on a 6in hoop at The Artistic Flip Flop on Thursday, October 1!

*Registration required.

Watch Pretty Woman at the Sarasota Opera on Friday, October 2!

*Tickets required.

Enjoy a College Football Watch Party at CoolToday Park on Saturday, October 3!

Wellen Park’s Oktoberfest is back on Saturday, October 3!

Reggae Nights on the Island at Maxine Barritt Park is on Saturday, October 3! The Mighty Mystic performs.

Watch Sarasota Opera’s performance of Rigoletto on Sunday, October 4!

*Tickets required.

Create Wet Felted Pumpkins at The Artistic Flip Flop on Monday, October 5!

*Registration required.

Attend an Acrylic Bracelet & Necklace Workshop at The Artistic Flip Flop on Tuesday, October 6!

*Registration required.

Cat Qi Gong at Katy’s Cat Cafe is on Wednesday, October 7!

*$20 per person, must sign waiver.

Wellen Park Night Market and Dueling Pianos are both on Thursday, October 8!

VHS Bands Jazz in the Park Fall Concert is at Centennial Park on Thursday, October 8!

The Sweetheart Ball, a father daughter dance, is at Morgan Family Community Center on Friday, October 9!

*”Preregistration is required, and space is limited.
$25 per couple; $10 additional person.”

VMS Friday Night Concert: Bridget Phillips takes place at Centennial Park on Friday, October 9!

Dive into Fall at North Port Aquatic Center with extended hours and fall-themed activities on Saturday, October 10!

Centennial Park’s 60's 70's Classic Rock Concert is on Saturday, October 10!

Shirely St. John's Dare to Dream concert at Centennial Park is on Sunday, October 11!

Join a group drum-playing activity led by Broadway and studio-recorded drummer Joe Licinski on October 12!

*Registration required.

North Sarasota Library hosts a Nutrition Cooking Class on Tuesday, October 13!

*Registration required.

Learn to Sew a Patchwork Pumpkin at Elsie Quirk Library on Wednesday, October 14!

*Registration required.

Hosted by William H. Jervey, Jr. Venice Library, children and their families can enjoy books, songs, and an activity at West Blalock Park on Thursday, October 15!

The 53rd Annual Sun Fiesta is at Centennial Park on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday October 16-18! This free, fun event includes beer and wine tents, arts and crafts, food tents, and a kids corner.

The 53rd Annual Sun Fiesta is at Centennial Park on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday October 16-18! This free, fun event includes beer and wine tents, arts and crafts, food tents, and a kids corner.

Venice Nights Market & Music, Halloween Pet Parade, Costume Parade is on Saturday, October 17!

The 53rd Annual Sun Fiesta is at Centennial Park on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday October 16-18! This free, fun event includes beer and wine tents, arts and crafts, food tents, and a kids corner.

The Gulf Coast Mineral Fossil and Gem Club meets the third Monday of each month, and everyone is welcome! The goal of the club is to: “promote, educate, and instruct in the many fields of earth sciences, fossil and mineral specimen collecting, and jewelry design.”

Create unique Halloween decorations at Gulf Gate Library on Tuesday, October 20!

*”Please bring your own potion bottle (hot/soy sauce sized bottle). First come, first seated. Tickets are available at the reference desk one hour before the event.”

Create an Acrylic Fall Suncatcher at Selby Library on Wednesday, October 21!

*Registration required.

Sip coffee and talk about books at Jacaranda Library on Thursday, October 22!

Wellen Park’s Night of Worship Concert is on Friday, October 23!

VMS Friday Night Concert: Nick Fiasco is at Centennial Park on Friday, October 23!

Make a Difference Day, a day for community service volunteers of all ages to participate in landscaping, raking, cleaning and litter collection events, is on Saturday, October 24!

Celebrate Oktoberfest at Pioneer Plaza in Englewood on Sunday, October 25!

The Venice Coin & Currency Club meets the 4th Monday of each month.

Trick or Treat on the Lake at Nathan Benderson Park is on Tuesday, October 27! Enjoy activities, music, and more!

Take part in an In-Person Writer's Circle at North Sarasota Library on Wednesday, October 28!

*Registration required.

Olde Time Radio Play ~ Dracula and Frankenstein is being performed at the Centennial Park Gazebo on Thursday, October 29!

“Audience participation has a key role for the performance – so bring a smart phone or a small flashlight and wear your favorite black attire or spooky Dracula and Frankenstein costumes! No candles or open flames please.“

Wellen Park’s Spooktacular is on Friday, October 30!

The Child Protection Center’s Runaway Pumpkin 5K & Family Fest is on Saturday, October 31! The event will feature a 5K race, a 100m children’s Mini Monster Dash, and a FREE Fall family festival. A virtual 5K is also available. Race activities begin at 8 a.m., followed by the free Family Fest from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Festival attendees will enjoy food trucks, trick-or-treating, pumpkin painting, child-friendly activities and sensory stations, lawn games, photo opportunities, community partners, inflatable games, and PAWS therapy dogs in the popular puppy pit. Children can also participate in age-based costume contests. Admission to the Family Fest is FREE and open to the public — you do NOT need to register for the race to attend the festival, though all runners are encouraged to join in the fun! The goal is to provide local families with an accessible, low-to-no-cost day of connection, celebration, and support for safe childhoods all while having fun!

Kids’ costume contest:

- 0 to 2yrs: 11 a.m.

- 3 to 5yrs: 11:15 a.m.

- 6 to 8yrs: 11:30 a.m.

- 9 to 12yrs: 11:45 a.m.

Proceeds from the event will support the Child Protection Center’s mission of the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse across Sarasota and DeSoto Counties.

Learn more or register for the races and/or the free Family Fest: https://cpcsarasota.org/events/runaway-pumpkin/ *Registering for the Family Fest is not required but is encouraged!

Businesses and organizations that would be a good fit for local families and are interested in participating in our Vendor Village, or to inquire about volunteering, please reach out to Kingsley Event Consulting at KingsleyEventsTeam@outlook.com. 

Community members are also encouraged to bring non-perishable food donations during the event to support local families facing food insecurity during the holiday season.

The 38th Annual Downtown Venice Art Festival is on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1!

The Downtown Venice Halloween Strut is on Saturday, October 31! Children can trick or treat at local businesses and show off their costumes!

The 38th Annual Downtown Venice Art Festival is on Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1!

The Child Protection Center’s Night of Hope & Healing is at the Venice Community Center on Thursday, November 12!

Join the Child Protection Center for an evening of delicious food with bites from over 10 restaurants, premium drinks, running hot over at the casino games, stellar live and silent auctions, and dancing to fabulous music with the Occasions! Night of Hope & Healing is a unique event with a relaxed feel that will give you more than a great experience – it will give you the chance to be the hero in a child’s life.

“Night of Hope & Healing” truly is its name – an evening that brings hope and healing by raising funds to provide vital support to vulnerable children and survivors of child abuse right here in our own community. This event allows us to strengthen prevention education in local schools, provide critical interventions and medical assessments, and give more children access to highly specialized, trauma-informed therapy.

Tickets and sponsorships are available at https://cpcsarasota.org/events/night-of-hope/  

Events like this don't happen without a community that believes in what we're building. If you’re interested in sponsoring, volunteering, or supporting this event in another meaningful way, we'd love to talk – please contact LouAnnL@cpcsarasota.org.