The Nokomis Beach Drum Circle Keeps Sunset Time, Not Clock Time
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
On Wednesday the sun over Nokomis Beach set at 4:58 p.m. That means the drum circle at 100 Casey Key Road started around 3 p.m., when many people are still working. Daylight saving time ended at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, and because the circle starts by the sun, its clock time dropped by an hour.
The Must Do Visitor Guides listing describes the drum circle as a free, year-round sunset celebration. It meets at the main beach area of Nokomis Public Beach every Wednesday and Saturday evening, about two hours before sunset. It has been going for a long time. In April 2003, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune described more than a dozen drummers on the public beach in Nokomis. More than two decades of Wednesdays and Saturdays have kept the same rule, and each November the rule moves the start earlier.
A two-hour head start on sunset used to be an evening outing. In November it's a midafternoon one. That shift changes how the rest of a beach visit fits together. Food is easier to find, the parking lot is busier with construction, and the drive home starts after dark.
These are the Venice sunset times from timeanddate.com, the closest published reference for Casey Key, for a few November circle dates. The start times subtract roughly two hours, so treat them as rough guides, not a posted schedule.
| Circle date | Day | Venice sunset | Approximate circle start |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 4, 2026 | Wednesday | 4:58 p.m. | About 3:00 p.m. |
| Nov. 7, 2026 | Saturday | 4:55 p.m. | About 2:55 p.m. |
| Nov. 21, 2026 | Saturday | 4:47 p.m. | About 2:45 p.m. |
| Nov. 28, 2026 | Saturday | 4:45 p.m. | About 2:45 p.m. |
The jump came all at once. Sunset will drift only about 13 minutes over the rest of the month, but the clock change moved the circle's start a full hour earlier in one weekend. If you came for a 4 p.m. start in October and haven't been back since, you'll now arrive in the middle of the circle.
Saturdays shift the most for anyone who works weekdays. A Saturday circle that starts before 3 p.m. can fit after a late lunch. Wednesdays are harder, because a 3 p.m. start falls in the middle of the workday for most people with office hours.
During daylight saving time, an evening circle mostly ran after the beach concessions had closed. Now it runs while they're still open.
A Visit Sarasota County guide published Feb. 16, 2026, lists these hours for the Casey Key concessions:
Shark Tooth Beach Concessions runs both counters. Its own site names the North Jetty location North Jetty Grille. Put those hours next to the table above. On Nov. 7, with a circle starting around 2:55 p.m., the Nokomis Beach counter stays open for about an hour after the drumming begins. The trolley's 6 p.m. close covers the whole circle and the sunset on both drum days, Wednesday and Saturday.
Those hours come from a February snapshot, and concession hours can change with the season. Check them before you count on dinner from the beach counter. Either way, a 4 p.m. close on a circle day now falls during the circle.
The earlier start also overlaps more of the construction day on Casey Key.
In an April 24, 2025 notice, Sarasota County said part of the Nokomis Beach parking lot, south of the playground on the east side of Casey Key Road, would close long-term starting April 28, 2025. The area became construction staging for a major reconstruction of North Casey Key Road. The same notice closed the 200 block of South Casey Key Road to the public and said the closure was expected to last through fall 2027.
A U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners from spring 2026 gives more detail.
So the overflow lot that used to absorb weekend beach traffic is now a working yard, and Saturday crews work until 6 p.m. When the circle ran in the early evening, people arriving for it came near the end of the construction day. A Saturday circle starting before 3 p.m. now runs in the middle of it.
The project is large. A September 2026 post from the equipment supplier International Construction Equipment put it at about $46 million and described crews installing steel sheet-pile seawalls and temporary bulkheads. The finish date varies by source. The Coast Guard notice estimates May 1, 2027, for the whole project. The county's notice said fall 2027, and the supplier's post says late 2027. Taken together, the overflow lot will likely stay a staging yard through this winter season and possibly into the next.
Then there's the bridge. The Albee Road crossing is a double-leaf bascule drawbridge built in 1963. It carries about 1,500 vehicles a day and opens on demand for boats instead of on a set schedule, according to Your Observer's May 2026 bridge roundup. It replaced a swing bridge that charged a 20-cent toll. On-demand openings mean you can't plan around them, so give yourself extra time for a circle that now starts before 3 p.m.
At the south end of Casey Key Road, about a mile and a half down, North Jetty Park runs on a different schedule. The county facility directory lists park hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. When the park partly reopened on March 1, 2025, WWSB reported that parking, lifeguards and the concession had returned. The Venice Gazette noted that the jetty itself was still closed. A local fishing guide, last reviewed July 18, 2026, describes the North Jetty as open and the only walkable jetty at Venice Inlet. No county announcement confirms that, so look at the jetty entrance before you carry a rod out.
The park's November event runs on the clock, not the sun. The Feast Mode 5K Run and Walk is on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2026, from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. at North Jetty Park, 1000 S. Casey Key Road, according to the Sarasota County event calendar. The county's events and activities guide lists it as free and open to all ages. That gives the week of Thanksgiving a full Casey Key weekend. You can drum at the main beach on Saturday afternoon and walk the 5K at the jetty early Sunday.
After dark, which now comes before 5 p.m., the mainland has a few dated events. Here are the November dates in order.
Nokomis Community Park, home of the Taco Tuesday nights, may get bigger. In June 2026, county commissioners approved a project of nearly $1.69 million to expand the park, which includes buying a 1.01-acre parcel on Nash Avenue for $1.37 million. The parcel has 145 feet of frontage on Curry Creek, and possible future uses include a path, picnic areas, water access and a larger community garden, Business Observer reported. No construction schedule has been set.
Daylight saving time returns in March, and the circle will move back toward the evening. Until then, the Nokomis Beach drum circle starts in the afternoon, before 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
I've lived on the Gulf Coast since 1999, and I enjoy following how small changes like this one affect daily life on Casey Key. If you want to talk about Nokomis this season, whether you're settling in or planning your next move, Julie Shaw is glad to help. You'll find more local coverage on the Nokomis neighborhood page. Let's connect.
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