Entertainment

When the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus moved its winter quarters to sunny Sarasota County in 1927, bringing with it a menagerie of circus performers and artists from around the world, entertainment became the backbone of Sarasota's economy and culture.

 

Although the traveling circus tradition diminished over the decades, "The Circus Capital of the World," never lost its gusto for laughs, fun and star-quality entertainment.

Sarasota's circus tradition remains robust at Circus Arts Conservatory, but big top fun is just one of the many modes of entertainment in town. Comedy clubs like McCurdy's Comedy Theatre keep the laughs coming (without risking the mess of a pie in the face) and Sarasota's love affair with the silver screen reigns supreme at the Sarasota Film Festival and in independent theatres throughout the county. Whether it's action, jokes, or drama you seek, there's entertainment at every turn in Sarasota.