BRADENTON BEACH – The annual Christmas on Bridge Street celebration and Bradenton Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade are coming to town on Saturday, Dec. 4.
The fun will happen at various locations along Bridge Street. Beginning at 3 p.m., Christmas on Bridge Street will feature a Kid Zone that includes face painting and creating holiday crafts. Featuring food and drink specials, gift certificate sales, “chair-ity massage” and more, nearby retailers and restaurants will host a holiday walkabout that afternoon and evening.
The Anna Maria Island Privateers will provide photo opportunities with Santa and his sleigh in the Bradenton Beach Post Office parking lot, near the 40-foot-tall Christmas tree purchased by the Bridge Street merchants. The acclaimed Dickens Carolers – a professional company of actors and singers in period costumes – will add to the festivities by telling stories and singing seasonal songs.
After sunset, event attendees can admire the Bridge Street holiday decorations paid for by the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency.
There will also be a Holiday Swagger photo contest and a grand prize drawing that benefits Turning Points, a local non-profit organization that assists the homeless in Manatee County.
Holiday boat parade
On Saturday evening, the third annual Bradenton Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade will begin at 6 p.m., with participating vessels assembling ahead of time near the south end of Jewfish Key.
The boat parade will travel northwest along the Longboat Pass Bridge and then head north up the Intracoastal Waterway, passing by the Bridge Street Pier and ending at the Bradenton Beach Marina. The boat parade can be viewed from the Longboat Pass Bridge from about 6-6:30 p.m. and from the Bridge Street Pier from 6:30-7 p.m. Island troubadour Mike Sales will also be performing on the pier that evening.
The boat parade is open to powerboats and sailboats and entry is free. The best-decorated boat will earn a $200 cash prize. Entry forms and additional information can be found at the boat parade website, or by calling the Bradenton Beach Marina at 941-778-2288.
Bradenton Beach Marina owner and boat parade organizer Mike Bazzy said he anticipates a record number of boats participating in this year’s boat parade. Those who don’t have a boat of their own can ride along as passengers aboard the marina’s “Anna Maria Princess” paddle wheeler. Tickets can be purchased at the boat parade website and the proceeds will be donated to fighting children’s cancer.
For more information on the Holidays in Paradise events, activities, contests, parking and more, please visit www.lovebradentonbeach.com or call 941-896-2222.
The Sun is a media sponsor of the Holidays in Paradise events taking place on and around Bridge Street this holiday season.
