🍦 Fireworks, Parades, and a Star-Spangled 250th

Best Things To Do in SRQ: 7/2 - 7/5

June 30, 2026

Happy Tuesday!

It's the big one. The Fourth lands on a Saturday this year, and with America turning 250, the fireworks are running a little longer and the flags flying a little higher. We've rounded up where to watch all weekend, from the downtown bayfront to Siesta Beach to the Manatee River, plus a Spotlight that pulls up a chair at one of St. Armands Circle's enduring classics.

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In today’s edition of the Sarasota Scoop:

Thanks for reading,

Carson

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📰 Local Headline Roundup

Sarasota's Business Awards Crown 10 Local Winners

The Greater Sarasota Chamber handed out its annual Frank G. Berlin Sr. Business Awards this month, picking 10 winners from 30 finalists at a ceremony at The Ora. Among the night's favorites: Stage Door Studios took Small Business of the Year, and downtown's State Street Eating House was named Woman-Owned Business of the Year.

The Airport Just Got a Lot More Sarasota

A $16 million overhaul at Sarasota-Bradenton International is bringing a lineup of beloved local names through the gates: Mattison's, Anna Maria Oyster Bar, Motorworks Brewing, Patrick's, and Morton's Gourmet Market are all headed to the terminal. Finally, a layover bite that actually tastes like home.

Savor Sarasota Served Up Its Biggest Year Yet

The 21st edition of Savor Sarasota Restaurant Weeks rang up more than $1.05 million across 68 participating restaurants, with diners putting away over 25,000 meals. Not a bad sign for the local food scene heading into summer, and a good excuse to keep eating out.

🔦 Spotlight: Crab & Fin on St. Armands Circle

Some restaurants chase trends. Crab & Fin has spent nearly fifty years doing the opposite, serving fresh seafood at white-tablecloth tables on St. Armands Circle since 1978. It sits right in the thick of the Circle's ring of shops and palms, a short stroll from Lido Beach, and for a spot this central the parking is refreshingly painless, with plenty of spaces right out front.

Inside, it's the kind of room Sarasota does better than just about anywhere: cool, polished, a little dressy without being stuffy, with a generous patio for watching the Circle go by. The menu is broad in the best way. Seafood is the headline, from a raw bar with oysters flown in from a few different oceans to local grouper and snapper, stone crab claws in season, and a proper lump crab cake, but there's a full slate of steaks and chops for the table member who doesn't do fish. During Savor Sarasota the kitchen stretched out even further, with one of the more generous prix-fixe menus in town.

If you're deciding, lean into what the name promises. The crab cake and the salmon are the dependable, satisfying classics, and regulars swear by the grilled octopus and the lobster bisque to start. Come hungry and unhurried, because this is a take-your-time dinner, not a quick bite before a movie.

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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, July 2

Summer Circus Spectacular

📍 Historic Asolo Theater at The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Rd, Sarasota
🕦 11:00 AM & 2:00 PM (through Aug 8)
🔗 Sarasota Arts

Kids' Summer Beach Runs

📍 North Brohard Park, 1400 S. Harbor Dr, Venice
🕦 6:30 PM (registration 5:30 PM)
🔗 Sarasota County

FCL Braves vs. FCL Rays

📍 CoolToday Park, 18800 W. Villages Pkwy, North Port
🕦 10:00 AM (free admission)
🔗 CoolToday Park

Big Poppa

📍 Mattison's City Grille, 1 N Lemon Ave, Sarasota
🕦 7:30 PM — 10:30 PM
🔗 Mattison's

The Faraday Experience

📍 Siesta Key Oyster Bar, 5238 Ocean Blvd, Siesta Key
🕦 7:00 PM — 11:00 PM
🔗 Siesta Key Oyster Bar

Friday, July 3

NBP Fireworks on the Lake: America 250

📍 Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Cir, Sarasota
🕦 5:00 PM (fireworks around 9:20 PM)
🔗 Nathan Benderson Park

Spirit of '76 SRQ: America's 250th Celebration

📍 Five Points Park, 1 Central Ave, Sarasota
🕦 7:00 PM — 10:00 PM
🔗 Spirit of '76 SRQ

Bradenton Marauders Independence Day Celebration vs. Daytona Tortugas

📍 LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton
🕦 6:30 PM (postgame fireworks)
🔗 Bradenton Marauders

Village of the Arts First Friday ArtWalk

📍 Village of the Arts, 12th St W, Bradenton
🕦 6:00 PM — 9:30 PM
🔗 Village of the Arts

From the EDGE

📍 Pop's Sunset Grill, 112 Circuit Dr, Nokomis
🕦 6:00 PM
🔗 Pop's Sunset Grill

Saturday, July 4

Downtown Sarasota Fourth of July Fireworks

📍 Bayfront Park, 5 Bayfront Dr, Sarasota
🕦 Fireworks 9:00 PM
🔗 City of Sarasota

Longboat Key Freedom Fest

📍 Bicentennial Park, 2730 Gulf of Mexico Dr, Longboat Key
🕦 9:00 AM
🔗 Longboat Key Chamber

Anna Maria Island Fourth of July Parade

📍 Coquina Beach to Anna Maria City Pier
🕦 10:00 AM
🔗 AMI Privateers

Mote SEA: Breakfast with the Sharks

📍 Mote Science Education Aquarium, 225 University Town Center Dr, Sarasota
🕦 8:00 AM
🔗 Mote

Selby Gardens Fourth of July All-American Cookout

📍 Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 1534 Mound St, Sarasota
🕦 5:30 PM — 9:30 PM
🔗 Selby Gardens

Palmetto Fourth Fest featuring Soul Circus Cowboys

📍 Riverside Park, Palmetto
🕦 5:00 PM — 10:00 PM (fireworks over the Manatee River)
🔗 City of Palmetto

Freedom Festival: Cheers to 250 Years

📍 CoolToday Park, 18800 W. Villages Pkwy, North Port
🕦 6:00 PM
🔗 City of North Port

Siesta Key Fourth of July Fireworks

📍 Siesta Beach, 948 Beach Rd, Siesta Key
🕦 8:00 PM — 9:30 PM
🔗 Siesta Key Chamber

Venice Fourth of July Parade, Picnic & Fireworks

📍 Downtown Venice / South Jetty
🕦 Parade 9:30 AM (fireworks after dark)
🔗 City of Venice

Star-Spangled Spectacular at Waterside Place

📍 Waterside Place, 1560 Lakefront Dr, Lakewood Ranch
🕦 6:00 PM — 9:00 PM (drone show at 9:00 PM)
🔗 Lakewood Ranch

Paint the Village Red, White & Blue

📍 Village of the Arts, 1227 12th St W, Bradenton
🕦 11:00 AM
🔗 Village of the Arts

Groove Kings: Blues Brunch

📍 Mattison's City Grille, Bradenton Riverwalk, 101 Riverfront Blvd, Bradenton
🕦 12:00 PM — 3:00 PM
🔗 Mattison's

The Danny Bub Combo

📍 Motorworks Brewing, 1014 9th St W, Bradenton
🕦 7:00 PM — 10:30 PM
🔗 Motorworks Brewing

Sunday, July 5

Bradenton Marauders vs. Daytona Tortugas

📍 LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton
🕦 12:00 PM
🔗 Bradenton Marauders

The River Kings

📍 Pop's Sunset Grill, 112 Circuit Dr, Nokomis
🕦 6:00 PM
🔗 Pop's Sunset Grill

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