CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH MUSIC AND SUNLIGHT
Welcome to Sunsets and Soundwaves. We’re a nonprofit dedicated to bringing people together through live music and outdoor experiences. Join us in celebrating the beauty of nature while connecting with your community. Explore our events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to support our mission.
Our Mission
We strive to create joyful music experiences that bring people together and foster real connections within our community.
Our Vision
We envision a world where music serves as a bridge for all individuals, enhancing accessibility and inclusivity in every experience we offer.
Core Values
We believe in nature, collaboration, and the transformative power of music. Together, we can create a positive atmosphere and celebrate community spirit.
Our Story
Sunsets and Soundwaves Inc. is a Sarasota-based 501(c)(3) public charity creating daytime music and movement experiences that bring people together in real life through sound, sunlight, and experiences.
About
At a time when much of modern life happens indoors and online, Sunsets and Soundwaves offers a different kind of gathering — outdoor, music-driven, and intentionally designed for connection. Our events blend curated DJs, movement practices, and natural environments to create uplifting atmospheres where people feel more grounded, more connected, and more alive.
What began as a small beach gathering has evolved into a growing cultural movement centered on the idea that dance floors can exist outside of nightlife. These are modern rituals built around music, movement, and belonging — experiences that foster community, support wellbeing, and strengthen local culture without relying on traditional party environments.
Sunsets and Soundwaves operates through recurring public events such as Sunset Sessions and Soundwave Sundays, as well as collaborations with local creatives, growers, and wellness practitioners. The organization partners with parks, beaches, and community spaces to host accessible gatherings that encourage real-world interaction, artistic expression, and community resilience.
As a nonprofit organization, Sunsets and Soundwaves reinvests all revenue into programming, equipment, safety, and staffing to expand access to these experiences. Funding from grants, sponsorships, donations, and modest program admission supports sustainable growth while keeping events welcoming to all.
Sunsets and Soundwaves represents a new model of experience— one where music, movement, and environment combine to create spaces where people can gather, recharge, and reconnect with each other.
Community Context
Modern life offers fewer opportunities for people to gather in person in environments that are both uplifting and accessible. As work, entertainment, and communication increasingly move online, many adults lack regular, low-barrier ways to experience music, movement, and shared presence in natural, daytime settings.
Most social spaces built around music culture are oriented toward nightlife, alcohol consumption, or late hours, which can limit accessibility for many community members. At the same time, traditional wellness or fitness spaces rarely incorporate the communal, expressive energy of music and dance.
Sunsets and Soundwaves exists in the space between these worlds — creating daytime music experiences that combine movement, environment, and community in ways that feel joyful, welcoming, and culturally relevant. These gatherings serve as modern social infrastructure, offering repeatable opportunities for connection, artistic expression, and shared experience in real life.
Vision & Values
Vision
A culture where music, movement, and natural environments bring people together regularly, making real-world connection a normal part of everyday life.
Values
1. Real-World Connection
We prioritize in-person gathering, shared experience, and human interaction over digital substitution.
2. Music as a Unifying Force
We believe music is a universal language that brings people together beyond age, background, or identity.
3. Movement & Embodiment
We create spaces that encourage people to move, feel, and reconnect with their bodies in healthy, expressive ways.
4. Nature & Environment
Sunlight, open air, and natural settings are not backdrops — they are part of the experience.
5. Accessibility & Inclusion
Our gatherings are welcoming, affordable, and designed to be accessible to people from diverse backgrounds and stages of life.
6. Positive Atmosphere
We cultivate environments that feel safe, uplifting, and respectful — where people can be present without pressure or excess.
7. Community Collaboration
We grow through partnerships with local creatives, growers, wellness practitioners, and cultural contributors.
FOUNDER
In 2019, while living in Seattle just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I traveled to Kalymnos, Greece for a family reunion. One evening, I stumbled upon a spontaneous sunset beach dance—barefoot strangers moving together as the sun dropped into the Aegean. No phones. No distractions. Just rhythm, laughter, and presence. The electricity of that moment stayed with me long after I returned home.
Back in the U.S., as COVID-19 intensified isolation and disconnection, that memory took on new meaning. I felt the quiet weight of modern loneliness—something many people were experiencing, often without words for it. After relocating to Florida, I began hosting small beach music gatherings inspired by that Mediterranean sunset feeling. They grew quickly, confirming how deeply people crave real, embodied connection.
Although hurricanes and life’s pressures eventually paused the series, the need never disappeared—if anything, it became more apparent. Sunsets and Soundwaves Inc. exists to bring that sense of belonging, euphoria, and shared humanity back into everyday life through music, movement, and presence.
“When people dance together, they heal together.” — Daybreaker Manifesto
“Loneliness is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time.” — U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy (2023)
Get Involved and Make a Difference
Your participation is key to creating joyful music experiences. Join us in our events, volunteer your time, or support our mission. Together, we can foster connection and community.
What People Are Saying
Here's what participants are sharing about their experiences.
Get in Touch With Us
We would love to hear from you! If you’re curious about our events or want to learn more about how you can get involved, feel free to reach out. Whether you have questions about volunteering, partnership opportunities, or wish to make a donation, we’re here to help.
Your involvement can make a real difference in our community. Don’t hesitate to connect with us through the contact form below.