Funky Drummers

I'd been hearing about it for months from folks here at work and even seen it on TV, but I'd never gone to see it for myself. I finally made it out to Siesta Beach on Siesta Key for the Drum Circle. It's mid-summer, so most of the tourists are gone and I was actually able to get a parking spot. The circle started forming as the moon came up about an hour before sunset. All the drummers start to form a circle and begin drumming away. They don't seem to have a leader or any predetermined plan, they just play.

The drummers come in all shapes and sizes, from the Rasta drummer above to the cigar-chomping drummer below.


Drums aren't the only instruments to make up the circle, though they are the loudest. The guy above produced a didgeridoo and the fellow below added a little bit of electric guitar to the mix. I also spotted a portable keyboard, maracas, tamborines, and various other percussion instruments.


Once the musicians had formed their circle, the visual entertainment began with these two belly dancers. They spun and twirled most of the night. The circle also featured lots of little kids dancing, as well as a few adults. There were a few acrobats in there, too, performing the occasional flips and leaps.


As the sun sank into the sea, the pace quickened a little. I thought they'd quit as soon as the sun disappeared, but it kept going into the night. Just after sunset, the clouds to the East began to light up, putting on a beautiful light show for the remaining players.