The Big One! Downtown Sarasota's Main Street sees numerous events, fairs, festivals and fundraisers each year. Few, however, could boast the tenure or the stature of the Sarasota Festival of the Arts. The Festival will fill Main Street starting at Orange Avenue and heading east to Links Avenue. The overwhelming success of the Festival each year led to expanding and covering more than five city blocks with over 200 national and regional artists. The high level of artistic quality, the accessibility of the free, outdoor festival and the diversity of art has led to the Festival of the Arts' consecutive rankings among the top 100 art festivals in the nation, according to Sunshine Artist Magazine. Residents and visitors are invited to stroll amidst life-size sculptures, spectacular paintings, one-of-a-kind jewels, photography, ceramics and more from the 200 artists who are on site to discuss their inspirations and processes for each hand-made work. Parking is free and pets on leashes are always welcomed. Proceeds from the Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts benefits the Downtown Sarasota Alliance.
