Your Sarasota Weekend Starts Here
The calendar is beginning to look a little busier again.
This weekend you can wander through more than 175 artists and artisans at St. Armands Circle, catch Shakespeare as The Sarasota Players begins its 97th season, spend an evening at UTC’s Night Market, sing karaoke, or even start Saturday morning by helping clean up Sarasota County’s coastline.
And if you’re looking for somewhere to eat along the way, this week I’m featuring one of Sarasota’s more distinctive longtime restaurants: Owen’s Fish Camp in Burns Square. More on that below.
Here are the things I think are worth knowing about this weekend.
⭐ Mike's Pick This Weekend
4th Annual St. Armands Art Festival with Craft Marketplace
Saturday & Sunday, September 19–20 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
St. Armands Circle | Free
St. Armands Circle is already one of those places that’s enjoyable to wander without much of a plan. This weekend, you’ll have more than 175 additional reasons to do it.
The 4th Annual St. Armands Art Festival with Craft Marketplace fills the Circle for two days, with the event divided into two distinct areas. Fine art will be displayed in the park, while the craft marketplace stretches along the street.
You’ll find ceramics, jewelry, stained glass, metalwork, functional art, gifts and plenty of things you probably weren’t expecting to find when you arrived.
Why I Picked It
This is the kind of event that fits St. Armands particularly well.
You don’t have to arrive looking for anything specific. Browse the art, walk the Circle, stop somewhere for lunch or a cold drink and turn it into an afternoon.
And unlike some festivals where you can walk the entire thing pretty quickly, 175+ artisans should give you plenty to explore.
Local tip: I’d go earlier in the day. September still feels very much like summer in Sarasota, and you’ll have more comfortable temperatures for walking before the afternoon heat settles in.
⭐ Also Worth Your Weekend
UTC Night Market: Tailgate Edition
Thursday, September 17 | 6:30–9:30 p.m.
The Green at UTC
Football season gets worked into this month’s UTC Night Market.
Wear your favorite team’s colors and wander The Green while the Jesse Daniels Band provides the live music. Local makers will have handmade goods, jewelry, art, gifts and more throughout the market.
The Night Market takes place every third Thursday, but this month’s Tailgate Edition gives it a little football-season twist.
As You Like It — The Sarasota Players
September 17–October 4
The Crossings at Siesta Key | 3501 S. Tamiami Trail
The Sarasota Players opens its milestone 97th season with Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Rosalind flees her uncle’s court with her cousin Celia and finds refuge in the Forest of Arden, where a disguise, mistaken identities and romance set Shakespeare’s comedy in motion.
If you’ve been meaning to see what The Players are doing in their current space at The Crossings, the beginning of a new season gives you a good reason.
Parking tip: Park and enter the mall near Connor’s Steak & Seafood.
Karaoke on The Green
Friday, September 18 | 7–10 p.m.
The Green at UTC | Free
Singing is no longer limited to the car or shower.
UTC hands the microphone over to the crowd every third Friday for Karaoke on The Green. Bring some friends, choose your song—or just enjoy watching everyone else work up the courage to choose theirs.
With more than 80 places to eat around the UTC District, this one’s particularly easy to turn into dinner and an evening out.
UTC FIT with D1 Training Sarasota
Saturday, September 19 | 9:30–10:30 a.m.
The Green at UTC | Free
If you’d rather start Saturday by moving instead of browsing, UTC’s weekly outdoor fitness series continues with D1 Training Sarasota.
This week’s class is a higher-intensity strength workout based on Division 1 athletic training principles, but it’s designed for different fitness levels and abilities.
There’s no registration required. Bring a yoga mat, towel and water.
🚗 Worth the Drive
11th Annual Key Lime & Tropical Fest
Saturday, September 19 | Noon–9 p.m.
Fishermen’s Village | Punta Gorda
Free admission & parking
This one’s outside our usual Sarasota orbit, but it may be worth the drive if key lime, tropical music and a waterfront setting sound like a pretty good Saturday.
Fishermen’s Village’s annual Key Lime & Tropical Fest combines tropical food and drinks with vendors throughout the promenade and live entertainment from noon into the evening.
The music lineup includes The Kollections Band, Pirates of the Floridan, Chillakaya and tropical steel drums from Dave Lapio.
Make an afternoon of it and stay for the evening music along the water.
🆓 Local Weekend Favorite
Owen's Fish Camp — Burns Square
Some Sarasota restaurants are as much about the setting as what’s on the plate, and Owen’s Fish Camp has always been one of them.
Tucked beneath the banyans in Burns Square, Owen’s feels a little like someone turned an old Florida backyard fish camp into a restaurant. There’s seafood inside, but don’t overlook the backyard. Grab a drink, listen to the live music and spend a little time back there before or after dinner.
Mike’s tip: Owen’s can get busy, especially during season. I wouldn’t go expecting a quick in-and-out dinner. The wait—and hanging around the backyard—is part of the experience.
Burns Court is–and has been for decades–one of my wife’s and my favorite parts of town. Owen’s Fish Camp is as iconic and eclectic as it gets…anywhere.
The front is welcoming and the back is classic Old Florida. Great atmosphere and even better food.
Over the years, we’ve tried several menu items. My favorites:
Starter: A Plate of Deviled Eggs w/ Redneck ‘Caviar’
Basket: Camp Basket: Fried Oysters, Shrimp, Cod, Fries, Slaw
Plates: Spicy Jambalaya w/ Shrimp, Chicken, Andouille, Crawfish, & Dirty Rice
Sweets: Bourbon Pecan Pie w/ Fresh Whipped Cream
How can I not mention their Capt Eli’s Root Beer Float? I’m telling you, it’s not a same ole root beer float. I think they sprinkle magic on it.
Have a favorite dish at Owen’s—or a good Owen’s story? I’d love to hear about it.
Planning More Time in Sarasota?
Finished planning this weekend? Here are some of Sarasota Lifestyle’s best local guides.
15 Sarasota Restaurants Locals Actually Recommend
Dependable breakfast, seafood, casual, and special-occasion spots from a longtime local.
Boca Grande Florida Guide
A personal guide to Gasparilla Island, Old Florida charm, lighthouses, tarpon waters, and quiet preservation.
Buying a Home in Sarasota From Out of State
A straight-talking relocation guide to help buyers avoid expensive Sarasota mistakes.
Explore Sarasota
Start here for beaches, neighborhoods, restaurants, events, and local places worth knowing.
☀️ Sarasota Anytime
Not everything worth doing in Sarasota needs a special date on the calendar.
Summer is actually one of the best times to remember how many local activities happen week after week.
If nothing on this weekend’s event calendar grabs you, try one of these instead:
🥁 Drum Circles
There are opportunities around the area to catch one of Sarasota’s casual sunset drum circles—an easy way to combine a beach evening with something uniquely local.
🧘 Yoga on the Beach
Trade the studio for the Gulf. Recurring beach-yoga sessions offer an entirely different way to start—or sometimes finish—the day.
🏃 Summer Beach Runs
Summer running programs turn an ordinary trip to the beach into an evening activity, with the Gulf providing a pretty good reward at the finish.
🎭 Local Performing Arts
Florida Studio Theatre and Sarasota’s other performing-arts organizations don’t simply disappear when season ends. Summer can be a great time to catch a performance without the winter-season rush.
🌴 UTC Fun
Night markets, movies, live music and other recurring programming make UTC one of the easiest places to check when you’re looking for something casual to do.
🌴 Before You Go...
September Isn’t Quite Fall—but the Calendar Knows It’s Coming
September in Sarasota can be a funny month.
The thermometer still says summer. Afternoon showers can still change your plans. And anyone waiting for sweater weather has a while to go.
But you can usually see the seasonal change beginning somewhere else first: the calendar.
Theater seasons begin again. Festivals start returning. Outdoor events become more frequent. And little by little, the Sarasota calendar starts looking like Sarasota again.
This weekend is a pretty good example.
You can browse art at St. Armands, see Shakespeare, listen to live music, sing karaoke, exercise outside, help clean up the coastline—or simply find somewhere you like and enjoy a meal.
Sometimes that’s all a good Sarasota weekend needs.
Enjoy your weekend.
— Mike
📅 Hosting an Event in Sarasota?
Have a festival, concert, community event, performance or other local experience you’d like considered for an upcoming edition of Sarasota Weekly?
Send me the event name, date and time, location, short description, admission information, website or ticket link, and a high-quality photo.
Thank you,
-Mike Payne
