There is a moment every fall when the arts calendar catches up with the weather, and this is that week. Friday night kicks the season off downtown, and Saturday stacks three headline openings back to back. The week of September 28 through October 4 is the one I have been circling since August, so here is exactly where I will be and why you should consider joining me.
Saturday, October 3: The Orchestra Gets the Opera House
The Sarasota Orchestra takes over the historic Sarasota Opera House at 61 North Pineapple Avenue on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for Classical Music Humor, conductor Giancarlo Guerrero leading a program built around Rossini's Barber of Seville overture, with Haydn, Mozart, and Michael Daugherty's playful tribute to Liberace featuring pianist Terrence Wilson. Tickets start at $27. My move: an early table somewhere along Pineapple Avenue, then a short stroll to your seat under those gilded balconies. It is the rare concert night that feels like a full evening out instead of a one-hour stop.
The Same Night: Dracula Rises at The Players
Across town, The Players opens Dracula, adapted by Ren Pearson, in the Studio Black Box at 1400 Boulevard of the Arts, Suite 200, with the run continuing through October 25. Tickets run $30, with $15 student tickets. October is the right month for gothic theater, and the black box keeps it intimate, the kind of show where you can hear the theater go quiet. If you time it right, you can catch the matinee and still make the evening concert downtown.
ROAR! Lands at The Ringling
Add the museum to the Saturday list. ROAR!, the new exhibition at The Ringling, opens October 3, and opening weekend at the museum is its own event, with the bayfront grounds at 1001 Bay Shore Road at their most walkable in months. Come early, wander the galleries, then take the Ringling Bridge walk as the afternoon light goes gold.
Friday Night First: The Expendables at Big Top
The weekend really starts Friday. Fresh Fridays Downtown opens Season 6 on Main Street from 7 to 10 p.m. (my full kickoff guide has the breakdown), and over at Fruitville Commons, ska-punk favorites The Expendables headline Big Top Brewing at 3045 Fruitville Commons Boulevard with a 7 p.m. show. Craft beer, loud guitars and a Friday night lawn of people in a good mood, all in one warehouse.
The Nights I Guard on the Calendar
Between the openings, the weekly rhythm holds steady. Marina Jacks keeps live music on the Blue Sunshine Patio most nights at 2 Marina Plaza, with sunset cruises on the Marina Jack II for the full waterfront treatment. The Art Ovation Hotel at 1255 North Palm Avenue keeps its free jazz night on Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m., and the fall artist exhibits in the lobby are worth a look before you head up to the rooftop. And down in Venice, the Friday Night Concert Series plays the Centennial Park gazebo every Friday evening through the fall.
If a weekend like this has you picturing yourself in the middle of it every single week, that is what downtown living and the nearby communities are built for. When you are ready to talk about making the move, reach out, and I will help you find your spot in the middle of it all.