Acts listed for World Rowing Championships opening ceremonies in Sarasota

Circus Sarasota and the Sarasota Pops Orchestra will highlight a night of entertainment Sept. 23 along with a fireworks display at the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 World Rowing Championships at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota.

The free event has been designed to pay homage to the almost 2,000 rowers who will compete at the event from Sept. 24 through Oct. 1 while also telling the story of Florida's Suncoast and how it became the cultural community it is today.

Other acts include Jah Movement Reggae Band, the Sarasota Cuban Ballet, the Sarasota Ski-A-Rees Water Ski Show Team and the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe.

Creative Pyrotechnics will handle the fireworks following the event, which begins at 5:30 p.m. with a Fan Fest that will feature the area's top food trucks and is following by the actual performance portion of the entertainment at 7 p.m. Adult beverages will be available throughout the World Rowing Championships.

"It's not every day that a community gets an opportunity to have a showcase to the world," said Jim Shirley, the executive director of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County, in a release.

For more information, go to wrch2017.com.