Sarasota Sky Bar & Club to open Friday

Following some delays, downtown Sarasota’s newest nightclub will open this weekend in the historic Charles Ringling building.

Sarasota Sky Bar & Club will open at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at 1927 Ringling Boulevard, which is adjacent to McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre. The club will feature 1960s-themed local band Robin and the Retros starting at 8 p.m., with a $5 cover to get in, said co-owner Tony Tannus.

Democracy, a reggae band, will play during the same hours Saturday.

“We have to mix it up,” said Tannus, who said he wants to focus on bringing in a mature crowd to the non-smoking building. “I’m not bringing in 20 year olds to bounce around.”

Tannus, who also co-owns the Meadows Village Pub & Grill, said the 7,000-square-foot size of the interior, and its history, attracted him to the property. Charles Ringling, John Ringling’s brother, constructed the two-story building in 1926.

“His office is still up there,” Tannus said.