Head on down to State Street this Friday for the free event of the fall. “Soul on State” is the latest iteration of the Fresh Friday event series, brought together by the Downtown Improvement District of Sarasota and Next-Mark Digital Marketing. This Friday’s free block party, which takes place on State Street between Lemon Avenue and the State Street parking garage and runs from 7p.m.-10p.m., will feature live music from the soul/funk band K-Luv and the United Funk Federation as well as streetside food and beverages.

“The big thing with these Fresh Fridays, is that it's a chance for us to create a sense of place in the downtown area. Our goal was to pick a venue that has convenient parking and could be an entertainment venue as well. People love to come out – we’ve been getting over 1,000 at each event across all ages, from people with babies in their arms to 90 year olds,” says Joseph Grano, Next-Mark founder and event organizer. “It’s our contribution to the city – we just felt that it’s important to have a place for people to come together with no charge. Doesn’t really matter what your socioeconomic status is, it’s there, it’s for you to come out and enjoy yourself. The Downtown Improvement District's vision of this was to create something really spectacular, that highlighted what downtown Sarasota has to offer.”

“Soul on State” celebrates the one year anniversary of the Fresh Friday event series, which launched a year ago in November of 2021. The free event series initially came out of the Downtown Improvement District’s response to the pandemic – the organization wanted to create a safe, free, outdoor space that all could enjoy in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdowns. “Now, It’s grown into a lot more than that – it’s about having a place where people can meet up and participate and do this all for free,” says Grano. “This event will focus on the rhythm and blues. There will be live music, dancing , jenga and cornhole games, along with five different restaurants participating in food and drinks – Brick’s Smoked Meats, State Street Eating House + Cocktails, Art Ovation Hotel, and Tsunami.”

Soul on State will take place Friday, November 4th, 7-10p.m., State St between Lemon Ave and the State St Parking Garage.

To learn more click here.