New Monthly Downtown Sarasota First Friday Event Kicks Off This Week

SARASOTA, FL — A new monthly first Friday event celebrating downtown Sarasota’s dining, entertainment and shops kicks off Friday night.

“Fresh Fridays” is a new initiative presented by the Downtown Improvement District and the city of Sarasota.

The initiative is expected to elevate downtown Sarasota’s profile by offering themed events on the first Friday of each month, the city said in a news release. Each event will take a fresh approach to engage residents and visitors with dynamic opportunities to celebrate the city’s diverse music, food and arts assets.

The “Fresh Friday” inaugural event runs this Friday from 8 to 11 p.m. within the same area as the Saturday Farmer’s Market on Lemon Avenue between First Street and Paul N. Thorpe Jr. Park.

Called “Best Night Ever,” the event features live music and digital light displays throughout the cobbled Lemon Avenue corridor, setting the tone for the festive outdoor programming to come, the city said.

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“This is a passion project I’ve been really excited about for a long time,” Mayor Hagen Brody said. "It's high time to bring our community out and back together to enjoy the heart of our beautiful city once again.”

Other scheduled Fresh Friday monthly themes include a dance party, a live wedding, neighbors and newcomers night, Sarasota’s finest chefs, and a holiday-themed night.

DID board member and State Street Eating House + Cocktails owner Chris Voelker said the events offer a an opportunity for downtown businesses.

“The DID has always worked with the city to make sure downtown is a hospitality, retail and cultural center for the region,” he said. “So, it makes perfect sense to offer an elevated event series in the evening. We want this pilot series to show how impactful it is for businesses when people get out and about.”

The DID was founded in 2008 to give downtown vendors a unified voice in helping the city devise a strategic plan for the district, including infrastructure maintenance and improvements.

Organized by Next-Mark, LLC., the same marketing communications agency behind St. Armands’ “Sol of the Circle” campaign, “Fresh Fridays" plans to raise awareness of the Downtown Improvement District’s incredible array of offerings.

“Our goal is to unify those offerings into a dynamic, fresh approach,” Joseph Grano, Next-Mark president, said.