Southwest Florida's art and craft festival season is about to get busy, with Howard Alan Events and its American Craft Endeavors counterpart — billed as the nation's largest outdoor art and craft festival producer — releasing their 2026-27 schedule. Spanning Venice, Sarasota, Punta Gorda, and Lakewood Ranch, the lineup runs from early September through early March, and every event is free to attend, pet-friendly, and open to all ages.
The season opens September 5-6 with the 17th Annual Downtown Venice Craft Festival, where nearly 100 crafters will line Miami Avenue with handmade clothing, jewelry, pet accessories, and more. Just the following weekend, September 12-13, the 28th Annual Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Craft Festival takes over Sullivan Street. Then on September 19-20, the 4th Annual St. Armands Circle Art Festival with Craft Marketplace kicks off Sarasota's art season, benefitting the St. Armands Circle Association.
Fall brings a string of milestone events. The 30th Anniversary Downtown Sarasota Craft Festival fills Five Points Park on October 17-18 with more than 100 of the state's top craft artisans. A brand-new addition — the Lakewood Ranch Art Festival at UTC with Craft Marketplace — debuts October 24-25 at the University Town Center mall, featuring fine artists working in glass, wood, metal, sculpture, photography, and more. Halloween weekend (October 31-November 1) brings the 38th Annual Downtown Venice Art Festival, with over 150 artists lining Venice Avenue.
Winter and early spring keep the calendar full. Thanksgiving weekend (November 28-29) offers an alternative to Black Friday shopping with the Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Thanksgiving Weekend Craft Festival. January 2027 sees a cluster of marquee events, including the 30th Anniversary Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Craft Festival on January 16-17 and simultaneous festivals in Venice and at St. Armands Circle on January 30-31. The season's centerpiece arrives Valentine's weekend — February 13-14 — when the 39th Annual Downtown Sarasota Festival of the Arts brings more than 200 of the nation's top fine artists to Main Street, an event the organizers call West Florida's longest-running, award-winning art festival. The 26th Annual Downtown Venice Art Classic follows March 6-7.
All events are produced by Howard Alan Events and American Craft Endeavors; full details are available through Florida Weekly.
