Ringling International Arts Festival Ready for RIAF? The third annual fest fills the grounds of the Ringling Museum with a dazzling mix of music, dance, theater and more. Included: an opening night block party, the Wooster Group’s Hamlet, genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider, songstress Meklit Hadero, Irish step dancer Colin Dunne and much more. Oct. 11-16; for tickets call 360-7399 or go to ringlingartsfestival.org.

Dolly Parton at Van Wezel Country music superstar Parton pays a visit to the Van Wezel as part of the tour for her album of all-new songs, Better Day. Concert is at 7 p.m. Oct. 16; to see if any tickets remain, call 953-3368.

Sarasota Opera’s Madama Butterfly One of the most beloved works in the operatic canon, Puccini’s Butterfly returns to the Sarasota Opera for its fall season, Oct. 28 through Nov. 15. Asako Tamura is the doomed Cio-Cio-San; Rafael Davila her faithless Pinkerton, under the direction of Martha Collins and the baton of Victor DeRenzi. Tickets, 328-1300 or [email protected].

Sarasota Ballet Season Opener The 21st season brings us two new works this month: Matthew Hart’s Tchaikovsky’s Ballet Fantasy (a collaboration with the Sarasota Ballet School) and a world premiere from one of the troupe’s dancers, Ricardo Graziano, as well as a reprise of Peter Darrell’s Othello. Oct. 28-30 at the FSU Center for Performing Arts; call 359-0099 ext. 101 or go to sarasotaballet.org.