Cheap Trick, Bret Michaels, and the Marshall Tucker Band are set to headline the 29th annual Thunder by the Bay Music & Motors festival at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, running February 19-21, 2027. Ticket sales for the three-day event open October 14, with general admission starting at $15 and kids 12 and under admitted free.
The lineup announcement, reported by the Miami Herald, includes Cheap Trick, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees from 2016 who still feature Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, and Tom Petersson. Zander, notably, lives in nearby Safety Harbor. Bret Michaels, frontman of Poison and a familiar face from VH1's Rock of Love and his win on the third season of Celebrity Apprentice, will also take the stage, alongside the Marshall Tucker Band featuring founding frontman Doug Gray.
A Festival Built to Fund Local Special-Needs Services
Beyond the headliners, the 2027 bill rounds out with tribute and regional acts including the Foreigner Experience, Redemption Road, Soul Circus Cowboys, the Seger Experience, and the 100 Proof Band, according to the Herald's reporting. The weekend will also include car and motorcycle shows and Universal Championship Wrestling, alongside the festival's music lineup.
The event is organized by and benefits Suncoast Charities for Children, which funds programs and services for local children, teens, and adults with special needs through 10 local nonprofit agencies, per the Herald. Lucy Nicandri, the organization's executive director, called the festival a significant charity fundraiser and a celebration of music, community and fun, and said Suncoast Charities for Children has worked to keep ticket prices affordable despite rising costs.
Matching Grant Aims to Double Donor Impact
For 2027, the James M. Doss Charitable Foundation has pledged a $50,000 matching grant for all non-sponsorship donations made to Suncoast Charities for Children through the event, according to WENG Radio. The foundation has regularly backed the festival with matching funds, including a $35,000 match for the 2026 event, the station reports. Since its founding, Thunder by the Bay has generated more than $3.3 million in cumulative funding for the charity, WENG notes.
That long-term total got a significant boost from last February's 28th annual festival, which raised $310,000 for Suncoast Charities for Children, according to The Suncoast Post. The outlet called 2026 one of the festival's most successful years ever. That 2026 edition featured headliners Night Ranger, 38 Special, and Montgomery Gentry featuring Eddie Montgomery, plus a special appearance by American Chopper star Paul Teutul Jr., per the same account.
At the Sarasota County Fairgrounds
Thunder by the Bay is held at the Sarasota County Fairgrounds. The festival includes on-site camping and car and motorcycle shows.
The festival was rebranded as Music & Motors in 2026. Proceeds support 10 local nonprofit agencies across Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto, and Charlotte counties, including Children First, The Florida Center for Early Childhood, Loveland Center, and The Haven, according to Thunder by the Bay's own charity page. Those programs and services reach more than 10,000 individuals with special needs and their families.
Sporting Clays Tournament Adds to Fundraising Calendar
The music and motors weekend isn't the only fundraiser on the calendar. Suncoast Charities for Children also holds a Sporting Clays Tournament, now in its 13th year.
Suncoast Charities for Children was established in 1985 and works alongside a sister organization, the Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children, which owns buildings used by charity tenants, according to a Your Observer report. The foundation charges tenants $1 per year in rent, and avoiding administrative overhead was an original goal. Discounted tickets are available through December 31, with limited party pit and VIP options also on sale.
