There are plenty of activities to keep you busy here in Sarasota this October. Whether you're looking for a family fun afternoon, want to explore German culture or just want to be spooked, our city has an abundance of activities for your stay. October in Sarasota is anything but uneventful. Check out some of these fun events this fall:
The Sarasota Pumpkin Festival and Fruitville Grove Pumpkin Festival are two popular annual pumpkin festivals in Sarasota.
The 8th annual Sarasota Pumpkin Festival takes place this year October 28th, 29th and 30th, 2016. The festival is open from 12pm - 10pm on Friday and Saturday and 12pm - 8pm on Sunday at the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch. There will be performances, a pumpkin patch, maze, pie eating contests, an amusement area with rides, games, petting zoo, pony rides, food and drink stands, live bands and more. Information on ticket pricing is available online.
The Fruitville Grove Pumpkin Festival will be having their 28th annual family-friendly event this year. The festival will take place every weekend in October. There will be hayrides, festival food, BBQ, kettle corn, pie, live music, moon bounce, face painting, pumpkin painting, rock wall and a bungee jump.
Celebrate German culture and taste some German craft beer with Sarasota's Oktoberfests. Here are a few options for events to attend:
WOBtoberfest- This is World of Beer's biggest annual event of the year. The event will include craft beer, German food and live music. There will be an AC/DC tribute band at "WOBtoberfest Day 1 w/ Highway to Hell" and there will be a Pearl Jam tribute band at "WOBtoberfest Day 2 w/ Pearl Jamz". This two-day event will take place on October 21st at 4pm and October 22nd, 2016 in Bradenton at 3pm.
Sip the Sunshine Craft Beer Festival- This festival will take place on Saturday October 29th, 2016 starting at 12pm for VIP ticket holders and 1pm for regular ticket holders and lasts until 9pm. Tickets range from $35-$100 and are available online. The event exclusively features Florida craft breweries and a concert event at Sundown Session, where food and drinks will be available.
Haunted Trails at Oscar Scherer Park- This year will be the 4th Annual Haunted Trails at Oscar Scherer Park. This family-friendly event takes place on Friday October 21st and Saturday October 22nd, 2016 from 8-10pm. There is a scary haunted trail for those looking to be spooked and a not-so-scary trail for those who don't want to be scared. There will also be kids activities, costume contests and more. Tickets are available online.
Boofest on Main Street at Lakewood Ranch- Boofest will take place on Friday October 28th, 2016 from 6pm to 9pm. The event is free and open to the public. This year's Boofest will be Wizard of Oz themed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the event. There will be plenty of activities this year to enjoy: haunted trolley rides with ghost stories, costume contest, trick-or-treating, inflatable dark maze, haunted trail, kids play zone, live DJ, merchant window painting contest, wandering Wizard of Oz characters, photo booth, balloon artist and face painting.
