Events / Live Music
Last verified October 2026
Where to hear live music any night of the week, and who to check before you drive.
It's seven o'clock on a Tuesday and you feel like going somewhere with live music. The real question is which of the places you already know has music tonight, and whether it starts before you change your mind.
This page answers that two ways. The night-by-night guide below tells you which places have music on which nights, what time it starts and what it costs. The calendar further down shows exactly who is playing this week.
The short version
If you want music tonight and don't care where, go to Woody's River Roo in Ellenton. There's someone on every day of the week. Clancy's on Cortez Road is the other safe bet from Tuesday to Saturday. Everything below is the longer answer.
The thin night. Woody's has someone on at 5pm, and Harry's Grill on the island has music from 6 till 8:30.
Cortez Kitchen brings back Monday Night Blues at 5pm some weeks, so check their calendar before you head out to the village. Everywhere else it's games or a microphone: Clancy's hosts trivia and Texas Hold'em from 6pm, and the Freckled Fin does karaoke at 7:30.
Harry's has dinner music from 6 till 8:30, and Woody's is on at 5pm. Clancy's books a solo act around 4pm and a band most evenings, and the Freckled Fin gets going at 7pm.
Quieter, but you still have options. Woody's plays at 5pm and the Freckled Fin at 7pm. Flamingo Bay Brewing hosts an open mic every Wednesday from 6pm, a looser night than a booked band but still live music. Cortez Kitchen is dark and Clancy's runs bingo.
The night the week opens up, with the most dependable booking on this page: Clancy's has a band every Thursday at 6pm, on every Thursday of their calendar through November, and karaoke from 9pm.
Harry's has music from 6 till 8:30 every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Woody's keeps its 5pm slot, the Freckled Fin usually starts at 7 or 7:30, and Flamingo Bay has music some Thursdays.
Fullest night
The fullest night of the week, and the one where start times matter most.
Woody’s runs two acts: an early one at 3pm and a full band at 7pm. Cortez Kitchen kicks off at 6pm. Clancy’s has a band at 6pm, then karaoke from 9pm. Harry’s plays 6 till 8:30. Flamingo Bay picks up around 6 or 7, and the Freckled Fin at 7:30. Downtown, Cork’s Cigar Bar has music every Friday from 8pm, and some Fridays bring a ticketed show at Oscura in Old Manatee, usually at 8pm.
Woody's opens with a noon set on the river and brings on another band at 7pm. Clancy's has a band at 6pm, then karaoke at 9pm. Cortez Kitchen plays at 7pm and Harry's from 6. Cork's is the downtown pick again from 8pm, Flamingo Bay gets going around 6:30 with the odd afternoon show, and the Freckled Fin starts at 7:30.
Oscura, in the Old Manatee district, has a ticketed show most Saturday nights at 7 or 8pm: touring punk, indie and hardcore bands, plus themed nights and the occasional comedian.
Sunday is the easiest day to catch live music without staying out late: most of it starts in the afternoon.
Cortez Kitchen books Sunday harder than any other day, almost always at 5pm. It is their signature slot. Woody’s plays two sets, noon and 5pm, and Flamingo Bay does the same, noon and 5. Loaded Cannon Distillery in Lakewood Ranch hosts an open mic every Sunday from 4 to 6, and The Freckled Fin has the occasional Sunday evening show
Harry’s has Skip Eaton on classic covers, 6 till 8:30. Earlier in the day their Hallelujah Brunch runs 10 to 11:30. Worth knowing: that is a worship service with breakfast rather than a band, which is either exactly what you want or precisely what you don’t.
Here’s every upcoming live music show by date, with band names and start times, including one-off gigs and touring acts. For everything else happening around town, see the full events calendar.
A few of these are members of our business network and a few aren't. Membership has nothing to do with who made this list.
Worth the drive: Ellenton
Woody’s River Roo
5717 18th Street East, Ellenton · (941) 722-2391
The busiest live music venue in the county by a distance, and the only one with something on every single day. It sits right on the Manatee River with an outdoor tiki stage, so the daytime sets are as much the draw as the bands. It's open every day from 11am, until midnight Sunday to Thursday and 1am on Friday and Saturday, with a late-night menu. Their schedule is posted a few weeks ahead: woodysriverroo.com/live-music.
West Bradenton
Clancy’s Irish Pub & Grill
6218 Cortez Road West · (941) 794-2489
Something on seven nights a week: music Tuesday to Saturday, karaoke Thursday to Saturday at 9pm, and games on the nights there's no band. Weekend bands typically play 6 to 10, the late-night menu runs 10pm to midnight Thursday to Saturday, and happy hour is 3 to 6 on weekdays. clancysirishsportspub.com/events.
On the island
9903 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria · (941) 567-5999
The place with the most standing weekly residencies, all 6 till 8:30: music on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Sunday, with the current performers listed on their site. Harry Hour, 3 to 5pm on weekdays, is a drink discount and a good reason to arrive early. More in our piece on Harry's.
On the island
Holmes Beach · (941) 251-3930
Books more music than anywhere else on Anna Maria and posts most of it to our calendar. Tuesday through Saturday, starting at 7 or 7:30, with karaoke on Monday and the odd Sunday evening show. Expect a wide spread of styles, heavy on acoustic, with reggae, soul and rock in the mix.
Taproom
A Thursday to Sunday spot, mostly early evening, with noon sets on some weekends and an open mic every Wednesday. It's a taproom, so you can hear the person you came with.
Downtown
424 Old Main Street · (941) 744-2589
Downtown has fewer music nights than you'd expect for the part of town with the most bars. Cork's has live music every Friday and Saturday from 8pm and is the downtown answer. If you want music without leaving the center of town, that's where you're going.
Old Manatee: ticketed shows
816 Manatee Avenue East
The one place on this page that books touring bands and sells tickets: a 400-capacity venue for punk, indie, rock and hardcore, plus themed nights like emo and 90s dance parties. Shows are mostly Friday and Saturday at 7 or 8pm, and most tickets run $10 to $25. Some of its daytime community events, like the Bradenton Zine Fest, are free. Calendar and tickets: oscura.live/calendar.
Lakewood Ranch
3115 Lakewood Ranch Blvd, Suite 110 · (941) 900-1482
A working distillery with a tasting room, and the music is a Sunday thing: an open mic every week from 4 to 6, with a food truck outside most Sundays. The tasting room closes at 6 on Sundays, so plan on an afternoon. .More in our spotlight.
Cortez village
Cortez Kitchen
Outdoors, on the water, in the old fishing village, and the spot to pick when you want the setting to be part of the night. People call it a weekends-only place, but Sunday at 5pm is its biggest slot, Friday at 6pm is next, Saturday plays at 7pm, and Monday Night Blues at 5pm turns up some weeks. Tuesday to Thursday are dark. Schedule at cortezkitchenfl.com/events.
None of the three venues with public calendars, Woody's, Clancy's and Cortez Kitchen, lists a price for any regular night through November. Clancy's occasional special events are ticketed and say so, and Oscura's shows are ticketed as a rule. The organized free music follows the seasons:
Music in the Park: a free Friday-evening concert series at Rossi Park on the Riverwalk, spring only.
BAM!Fest: free art and music on the Riverwalk each spring.
The full festival guide for everything else across the county.
Start times run early here. Woody's has music from noon on weekends, Flamingo Bay does too on some weekends, and most evening sets start at 5 or 6. For something that runs late, Oscura's weekend shows start at 7 or 8pm, Cork's music starts at 8, and Clancy's karaoke starts at 9.
Check the night before you drive. Woody's, Clancy's, Cortez Kitchen and Harry's all publish a current schedule. Everywhere else, the person answering the phone knows tonight better than any website.
Add your events. They show up on our calendar and in the Thursday email. If you are a local business, the business network is how you get listed.