🏉 Siesta 7s Beach Rugby Tournament

Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m., Siesta Key Beach, Main Beach area between the yellow and red lifeguard stands, Siesta Key

Barefoot rugby moves onto the sand for a day of men’s, women’s and youth matches at Siesta Key Beach. The tournament is free for spectators and will also bring local vendors, drinks, snacks, music and an after-party bar crawl in Siesta Key Village. For more information, click here.

📷 The Evocative Lens: Pictorialism and the Rise of Fine Art Photography

Opens Saturday, May 16, The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota

The Ringling’s newest exhibition looks back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when American Pictorialists helped push photography from mechanical recordkeeping into the realm of fine art. Drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, the show includes work by Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Clarence H. White, Anne Brigman, Gertrude Käsebier and Eva Watson-Schütze. It runs through Sept. 16 in the Ulla R. and Arthur F. Searing Wing of the Museum of Art. Included with museum admission. For more information, click here.

🎭 Voces de la Adolescencia

Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, 8 p.m., CreArte Latino Cultural Center, 1913 Northgate Blvd., Sarasota

CreArte Latino Cultural Center turns community testimony into theater with this Spanish-language staged reading about adolescence, migration, identity and family life among Latino and Hispanic families in Sarasota and Manatee counties. After each performance, audience members can join a conversation with the directors, actors and community members whose experiences helped shape the work. Tickets are $25. For tickets or more information, click here.

🥾 Rothenbach Park Nature Walk & Picnic

Sunday, May 17, 11 a.m., Rothenbach Park, 8650 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota

Stretch your legs and make a few new friends at this relaxed three-mile nature walk through Rothenbach Park, where Suncoast Social plans to mix scenic trails, wildlife spotting and conversation. A casual picnic follows near the pavilion, so bring water, a snack, comfortable shoes and binoculars or a camera for any birds or other park residents that cross your path. For more information, click here.

🎭 Confederates

Wednesday, May 13, through Sunday, May 24, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Howard J. Millman Black Box Theatre, 1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe continues its exploration of playwright Dominique Morisseau with “Confederates,” a time-bending drama that moves between a present-day political science professor facing racism and scrutiny in academia and an enslaved woman serving as a Union spy during the Civil War. Directed by Jim Weaver, the limited black box run stars Jazzmin Carson, Moriah Cary, Canela Vasquez, Laura McKennan and Peterly Jean-Baptiste. Performances this week take place at 2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $45 for adults; $20 for students 25 and younger and active military.
For tickets or more information, click here.

🎬 Climate Future Film Festival

Sunday, May 17, 1 p.m., Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota

Spend part of your Sunday with a lineup of short films about the climate crisis, ranging from documentaries and animation to drama and humor. The Climate Future Film Festival, is a two-hour Earth Day program, and will screen 10 award-winning shorts chosen from hundreds of entries, followed by space for reflection and conversation. A potluck lunch begins at noon in the Reeb Room. This event is free. For more information, click here.

🌽 Free Cornhole Open Play

Thursday, May 14, 6:30 p.m., Big Top Brewing Company, 3045 Fruitville Commons Blvd., Sarasota

HotMess Sports Sarasota is warming up for its upcoming LGBTQ+ cornhole season with a free open-play night at Big Top Brewing. Come with friends or show up solo, toss a few bags and meet people before league play begins in June. This is one of several free pickup sessions scheduled ahead of registration closing May 28. For more information, click here.

🚒 Fantastic Fire Department Foam Fun

Saturday, May 16, 9-11 a.m., The Flock SRQ, 1977 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota

Toddlers can cool off with foam, water play and a real firetruck at this splashy morning designed for children ages 0 to 4. The play date also includes music, a bounce house and popsicles, with towels, water shoes and a change of clothes likely to come in handy. For more information, click here.

🦎 ReptiDay Sarasota

Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Sahib Shrine Center, 600 N. Beneva Road, Sarasota

Reptiles, amphibians and other exotic animals take over the Sahib Shrine Center for this one-day expo, where visitors can meet breeders, browse pet supplies and learn more about unusual creatures from the people who care for them. Tickets are $12 for adults; $6 for children ages 5 to 12; and free for children 4 and younger. For tickets or more information, click here. 

🍊 Armchair Adventure with Cookbook Author Dalia Colón

Friday, May 15, 10 a.m.-noon, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, Twin Lakes Park, 6600 Clark Road, Sarasota

Take a seated trip through Florida’s food history with author, podcaster and storyteller Dalia Colón. Hosted by Sarasota County Master Gardener Volunteers, the free program will move from Indigenous foodways to the rise of the citrus industry and today’s focus on sustainability. For more information, click here.

🎶 Mama Fuma Live!

Friday, May 15, 7-11 p.m., Encore Live, 8341 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota

Mama Fuma, a Miami-based project led by Ariel de la Portilla and Nikki Guerra, lands with a mix of reimagined songs and original music. The band’s set draws from artists including Janis Joplin, Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, Buena Vista Social Club and the Rolling Stones. Cover is $10. For more information, click here.

🎧 Spin Your Own Vinyl Night

Friday, May 15, 7 p.m., American Legion Post 266, 5201 Richardson Road, Sarasota

Pull a favorite record from the shelf and give it a proper public spin. The Groovy Room’s vinyl night invites guests to bring an album from home or choose from its collection, then place it on one of the turntables and let the room hear what they picked. Expect anything from Sinatra to Zeppelin, disco to soul, depending on who walks in with what under their arm. For more information, click here.

🤘 House of Heavy Dance Party

Friday, May 15, 8 p.m., Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton

Oscura turns up the volume for a dance night built around nu-metal nostalgia, alt-metal anthems, metalcore breakdowns and the sort of heavy riffs best experienced with other people who also know every dramatic pause before the drop. Doors open at 8 p.m., with the show set for 8:30 p.m. $17 early bird; $20 advance; $23 Day-Of-Show; 18+ only; $5 for under 21 attendees. For tickets or more information, click here.

⚽ Sarasota Paradise vs. AV Alta FC

Saturday, May 16, 7:30 p.m., Premier Sports Campus, 5895 Post Blvd., Lakewood Ranch

The Sarasota Paradise return home for a USL League One match against AV Alta FC on Military Appreciation Night. The club promises food, music and family activities around the game, with ticket options ranging from $13 reserved seating to upgraded field-side and club experiences. Tickets start at $13 each. For tickets or more information, click here. 

🐎 Sunsets and Show Jumping

Saturday, May 16, 5-6:30 p.m., Fox Lea Farm, 800 N. Auburn Road, Venice

Watch elite horses and riders take on the Grand Prix course as Fox Lea Farm’s spring Sunsets and Show Jumping series returns. Gates open at 4 p.m. and the first horse enters the ring at 5 p.m., with food and beverages available. Parking is free, admission is $10. For tickets or more information, click here. 

🎣 42nd Annual Crosthwait Memorial Fishing Tournament

Friday, May 15, noon-Sunday, May 17, 6 p.m., Bradenton Yacht Club, 4307 Thirteenth St. W., Palmetto

One of the region’s longest-running fishing tournaments returns for a three-day weekend of competition, dockside energy and family-friendly activity at the Bradenton Yacht Club. The Crosthwait, founded in 1983 in memory of Col. Sam Crosthwait, draws anglers across multiple divisions and has become a spring tradition on the Manatee River. For registration or more information, click here. 

🐟 Ninth Annual Children’s “On The Wall” Fishing Tournament

Saturday, May 16, 9 a.m.-noon, Bradenton Yacht Club, 4307 Thirteenth St. W., Palmetto

Young anglers ages 4 to 13 can spend the morning fishing from the wall at the Bradenton Yacht Club during this children’s tournament tied to Crosthwait weekend. Check-in runs from 8:15 to 8:45 a.m., fishing follows from 9 to 11 a.m. and lunch and awards come afterward. Registration is $20 per child or $15 per sibling and includes lunch. For registration or more information, click here.