The Living Arts Festival in Sarasota is set to take place from November 8-17, 2024, and promises to be a vibrant celebration of the region’s artistic community. Organized by the nonprofit Sarasota Rising, this inaugural festival aims to unite over 60 local arts organizations, schools, and businesses, showcasing a diverse array of performances and visual arts throughout the week.
Festival highlights include a pre-festival VIP party called “Festival Fete.” Immerse yourself in the unique experience of their pre-festival party, ‘The Living Arts Festival Fete’. Held at the Art Ovation Hotel in downtown Sarasota, this event offers a rare ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse into the festival, the Performing Arts and Culinary Arts. Have you ever wondered how their festival started? Step into ‘the room where it happens’ and be part of the magic! Enjoy live performances by Azara Ballet, The Indigenous Dance Troupe and Kathryn Parks! Help Sarasota Rising to elevate the arts in our region! Tickets available for $100.00. Sponsors and donors of $100.00 or more are complementary.
Buy tickets here to Festival Fete.
November 8 – 10, Sarasota International Chalk Festival.
The Chalk Festival is celebrating its 18th season. After six seasons in Burns Square, a historic district in downtown Sarasota, it moved to Venice in 2014. Managed entirely by volunteers (even the director, Denise Kowal, is a volunteer), this 501c3 non-profit organization strives to bring a global community of culture enthusiasts together who value the work involved to make and share memorable experiences. Once-a-year, spectators are afforded the opportunity to become an integral part of the fine art creative process. From start to finish, you can witness the largest gathering of renowned pavement artists perform using the road surface as a canvas to develop oversized masterpieces in chalk.
Tickets can be purchased at: www.chalkfestival.org
A family-focused FREE arts exposition at the civic green near the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium brings all of our cultural and creative families together with the explicit goal of fostering arts engagement among our area youth. Both indoor and outdoor stages proudly provide opportunities for our area schools and local educational organizations to place their unique energy on a stage for the world to see.
Area dance schools, performing arts schools, and our area public and private schools will be working, playing, and growing together. Students from: The Ovation School of Musical Theater, Booker Middle School, Rowlett Elementary, Jump Dance, Manatee School for the Arts and more! The performing arts aren’t the only shining star. Hands on mask making, creative drawing, Improv workshops, Acting classes and an opportunity to own an original piece of art from an area artist at our 5X5$5! Arts and crafts and performances all day long! Today is about learning and growing, emphasizing children of all ages and from all backgrounds. Let’s amplify the impact of the arts for the next generation of creatives and leaders.
The week continues with an explosion of arts in our neighboring city of Venice! The city of Venice is coming together for an entire day of arts immersion. Visit incredible organizations like: The Venice Arts Center, The Downtown Association, Venice Mainstreet, the Venice Symphony and Venice Theater! We readily support their takeover of their downtown for the arts! This area-wide celebration of the arts will include area businesses by highlighting their arts groups, their individual artists, and their unique missions.
Wondering what will help put The Living Arts Festival – Sarasota on the map? Look for surprise events that help brand Sarasota as the cultural coast and arts hub. Discover unique pop-up surprises and ‘happenings’ to help celebrate downtown with live acts, food, and spirits! By infusing the event with our festival’s unique theatrical flavor, we will engage those members of the community who may not consider themselves “arts aficionados” and show them the arts are for everyone!
The mission of our festival is to help build cultural tourism and assist in helping our community cherish the arts groups we proudly boast as members of our arts community. What better way to do this than to indulge in what we call ARTS ROULETTE! All day long, we will be out in the community, letting members of our community spin the wheel to win tickets to the many organizations participating in our festival, and giving them the opportunity to experience the arts!
Art comes in many shapes and sizes and we are very proud that the folks at Lifeline Productions are helping the festival with a special film premiere. “Clowns Like Me” is a one man show by local actor Scott Ehrenprise telling the heartfelt story of his struggle with mental illness…in the most comical of ways. Thank you to friends at Burns Court Cinema for hosting this 10:00 AM showing of the taping of the Off Broadway production. Tickets are $25.00 and the proceeds for this event come right back to support the Living Arts Festival. An informal talk back with the actor will be moderated after the film.
If You Go:
Purchase tickets here for any/all events held during the week
~Andrea Martone
