- Sarasota Scoop
- Posts
- 🍦 Big Weekend for Dads — Plus Your Fourth of July Game Plan
🍦 Big Weekend for Dads — Plus Your Fourth of July Game Plan
Best Things To Do in SRQ
Carson B
June 16, 2026
Happy Tuesday!
This is a weekend with two reasons to get out the door: Juneteenth on Friday and Father's Day on Sunday. Newtown throws its annual Juneteenth celebration on Saturday, and dads get the full Sarasota treatment, ballgames, a blues set on the bay, and an aquarium full of sharks. And if you're already looking ahead to the big one, our Spotlight has your Fourth of July game plan, including why this year's fireworks carry a little extra weight.
—
In today’s edition of the Sarasota Scoop:
Thanks for reading,
Carson
🧠 Think You Know Sarasota? Trivia!
Sarasota Jungle Gardens, one of Florida's oldest continuously operating attractions, is best known for letting visitors walk among free-roaming flocks of which bird? |
📰 Local Headline Roundup
Turtle Season Is Off to a Roaring Start on Longboat Key
Loggerhead nesting is nearly matching last year's record pace, with 149 nests already logged on Longboat Key in just the first week of June. The turtle-watch volunteers who walk the beach at dawn would love a few more neighbors to get involved.
A New Publix Lands in Lakewood Ranch
Shoppers lined up before 7 a.m. for the grand opening of Manatee County's 19th Publix, a new store at State Road 64 and Uihlein Road. The twist on this one: an in-store bar and an upstairs dining area that looks out over the sales floor.
🔦 Spotlight: Your Fourth of July Game Plan
The Fourth is still a couple of weekends out, but it's the one worth planning ahead for, and this year there's a little more reason to. 2026 marks America's 250th birthday, the Semiquincentennial, so expect the flags to fly a bit higher and the fireworks to run a bit longer. Sarasota throws a good Fourth, and the hardest part is just picking your spot. Here's the lay of the land so you can stake out your patch of grass early.
Downtown is the big one
The marquee show goes up over Sarasota Bay, launched from the water off the downtown bayfront after dark. It's free, it's part of Suncoast Summer Fest, and the proceeds benefit Suncoast Charities for Children. Bayfront Park and Island Park form one long viewing corridor along the water, and Marina Jack and the park lawns are the classic perches. Get there early, because downtown parking fills up fast and the good lawn spots go even faster.
Or head for the beaches and south county
If downtown crowds aren't your thing, Siesta Key sets off its own community fireworks near Siesta Beach, toes in the sand and no bad seats. Down in Venice, the show launches from the South Jetty, an easy add-on to a day spent on the water. Both are a notch more laid-back than the downtown scene and easy to pair with a beach day that rolls right into the evening.
Manatee gets in on it too
North of the river, Bradenton and Palmetto share a display over the Manatee River later in the evening, with viewing spots up and down both banks. Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch and a handful of riverfront restaurants like Pier 22 build their own celebrations around the holiday, if you'd rather have dinner and a show in one stop.
The move
Pick your spot, pack a blanket and bug spray, and roll in an hour or two early. Half the fun of the Fourth around here is the slow golden-hour wait by the water before the first shell goes up. However you do it, it's a good year to do it big.
We'll have the exact dates, start times, and the full lineup of celebrations right here as the Fourth gets closer. Keep opening the Scoop each week and we'll make sure you don't miss a thing.
Contribute to the Scoop!
Sarasota Scoop is 100% free to read, independently owned, and locally operated (heck, it’s just me).
Your contributions go toward keeping the Scoop going so we can have more fun and build more community. I appreciate any and all support! — Carson
Thursday, June 18
Summer Circus Spectacular
📍 Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
🕦 11:00 AM & 2:00 PM (through Sat June 20)
🔗 Sarasota Arts
UTC Night Market
📍 The Mall at University Town Center, 125 N Cattlemen Rd, Sarasota
🕦 6:30 PM — 9:30 PM
🔗 Market Spread
Cinema at The Bay: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
📍 The Bay Park, 1055 Blvd of the Arts, Sarasota
🕦 7:30 PM — 9:40 PM
🔗 The Bay Sarasota
Who Is Eartha Mae?
📍 Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd St, Sarasota
🕦 7:30 PM
🔗 Sarasota Arts
Friday, June 19
Bradenton Marauders vs. Clearwater Threshers (First Responders Night)
📍 LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton
🕦 6:30 PM
🔗 Bradenton Marauders
Under the Moon 5K
📍 CoolToday Park, 18800 West Villages Pkwy, Venice
🕦 8:00 PM
🔗 RunSignup
Laser Light Nights: Laser U2 & Laser Van Halen
📍 The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St W, Bradenton
🕦 6:00 PM & 8:00 PM
🔗 Bishop Science
Lady Disdain
📍 Mertz Theatre at Asolo Rep, 5555 N Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
🕦 7:30 PM
🔗 Asolo Rep
SEA & Savor: Wine Dinner at Mote SEA
📍 Mote Science Education Aquarium, 225 University Town Center Dr, Sarasota
🕦 6:30 PM
🔗 Mote SEA
Gravel Road
📍 Mattison's City Grille, 1 N Lemon Ave, Sarasota
🕦 8:00 PM
🔗 Mattison's
Chris Connolly Band
📍 Siesta Key Oyster Bar, 5238 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key
🕦 8:00 PM
🔗 Siesta Key Oyster Bar
Saturday, June 20
Newtown Juneteenth Celebration
📍 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way (between N. Links Ave & Pershing Ave), Sarasota
🕦 1:00 PM — 6:00 PM
🔗 Facebook Event
The Big Father's Day 5K
📍 Bradenton Riverwalk, 101 Riverfront Blvd, Bradenton
🕦 8:00 AM (Kids Dash 7:45 AM)
🔗 Find a Race
Adopt-a-Palooza (10th Annual)
📍 Bradenton Area Convention Center, 1 Haben Blvd, Palmetto
🕦 11:00 AM — 3:00 PM
🔗 Humane Society of Manatee County
33rd Annual Downtown Venice Craft Festival
📍 Downtown Venice, 200 Miami Ave W, Venice
🕦 10:00 AM — 4:00 PM (through Sun June 21)
🔗 Visit Venice FL
AC/DUCE/C — Tribute to AC/DC
📍 Sarasota Opera House, 61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota
🕦 7:00 PM
🔗 Sarasota Arts
Honky Tonk Angels
📍 Florida Studio Theatre, Gompertz Theatre, 1265 First St, Sarasota
🕦 3:00 PM (also Sun June 21 at 2:00 PM)
🔗 Sarasota Arts
Comedy Lottery
📍 Florida Studio Theatre, Bowne's Lab, 1265 First St, Sarasota
🕦 7:30 PM — 9:00 PM
🔗 Sarasota Arts
The KLICK Band
📍 Mattison's City Grille, 1 N Lemon Ave, Sarasota
🕦 8:00 PM
🔗 Mattison's
Dave Turner Project
📍 Siesta Key Oyster Bar, 5238 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key
🕦 8:00 PM
🔗 Siesta Key Oyster Bar
Sunday, June 21
Father's Day at The Bay featuring JP Soars & The Red Hots
📍 The Oval at The Bay Park, 1055 Blvd of the Arts, Sarasota
🕦 6:00 PM — 7:30 PM
🔗 The Bay Sarasota
Father's Day at Mote SEA
📍 Mote Science Education Aquarium, 225 University Town Center Dr, Sarasota
🕦 9:30 AM — 5:00 PM
🔗 Mote SEA
Bradenton Marauders vs. Clearwater Threshers (Father's Day)
📍 LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton
🕦 12:00 PM
🔗 Bradenton Marauders
Tales Under the Tree
📍 The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St W, Bradenton
🕦 2:00 PM — 2:30 PM
🔗 Bishop Science
Summer Movie Night: F1: The Movie
📍 CoolToday Park, 18800 West Villages Pkwy, Venice
🕦 5:00 PM
🔗 CoolToday Park
Steve White at McCurdy's Comedy Theatre
📍 McCurdy's Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd, Sarasota
🕦 7:00 PM
🔗 Vivid Seats
Interested in advertising in the Sarasota Scoop? Let’s Chat
Thanks for reading! Be sure to support us by sharing with a friend
Reply