If ever a city was built for a market, it’s Sarasota. Our consistently balmy outdoors and singularly arts-driven culture—which nurtures an unusually strong appreciation for local creatives of every discipline—turns out thousands to the various markets that pepper the area every weekend. The accolades have followed. Last month, the downtown Sarasota Farmers Market claimed the No. 1 spot in both the statewide and national rankings of American Farmland Trust’s America’s Farmers Market Celebration, with the Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch coming in at No. 2. Locals make their favorite market a ritual, visitors get a taste (pun unintended) of the city’s character and snowbirds find another reason to renew their seasonal love affair with the place. 

This season, one of the city's more distinctive market experiences is making its way back onto the calendar. RADD Sundays returns to the Rosemary Art + Design District this upcoming Sunday, Nov. 8, bringing everything Sarasotans love and linger over to the neighborhood on the second Sunday of each month, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through March. 

The event was birthed in the post-shutdown summer of 2021, debuting as the Rosemary Night Market. Nearly 500 people turned out for its inaugural gathering, strolling the aptly-named Boulevard of the Arts past vendors selling everything from Asian-style tacos to handmade jewelry. That fall, the event, organized by DreamLarge (Sarasota Magazine's parent company), was reintroduced as the RADD Night Market and continued through the spring of 2022. 

What distinguished the market in those days was what distinguishes the district itself. Even in a town already characterized by its art scene, the neighborhood has a creative posture entirely its own. Fogartyville, Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota Contemporary Dance, Sarasota Ballet School and The Players Studio give the neighborhood a concentration of arts institutions, and public murals, including rotating works associated with the annual PINC Experience—a three-day extravaganza showcasing the region as a capital of creativity—decorate the streetscape. The dining scene, too, feels eclectic and independent. Arts & Central pairs poetry nights, monthly featured artists and live music to innovative contemporary dining. Project Coffee, with its minimalist aesthetic, artisanal baked goods and decidedly cool young clientele, feels plucked from a city considerably larger than Sarasota. Iconic local mainstays like The Toasted Mango sit alongside buzzy newcomers like Hanami. 

RADD Sundays are designed to draw on that energy while offering the familiar pleasures of an outdoor market. A curated mix of local artisans and specialty vendors will include Bloom Juicery & Tonics, Cosmic Sol Glo, Nadia Design Co., SM5 Candle Co., The Garden Club FL, Fire & Flour Smokehouse, SRQutie and Creative Alley Studio, among others.

“Our hope has always been that the Rosemary Art & Design District is a place where people feel they belong and have room to build something of their own. These markets give small vendors a platform, help artists and makers find new audiences, and bring neighbors together,” says Anand Pallegar, founder and CEO of DreamLarge. “By championing those starting out and creating opportunities for our creative community to thrive, we’re helping shape a Sarasota where more people can establish a future for themselves.”

This year's market is also a collaboration between DreamLarge and Arts & Central, whose involvement reflects the restaurant's broader ambitions within the district. “Helping sponsor the market is a natural extension of what we wanted to accomplish with our restaurant. Not only to be a place people enjoyed to visit for the food, but also to be an active promoter of the artistic community of Sarasota,” says Dan Henson, owner of Arts and Central. “Showcasing all of the creativity that will be on display is what the Rosemary District is all about.”

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