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Celebrate Christmas on Bridge Street and holiday boat parade

Celebrate Christmas on Bridge Street, holiday boat parade

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Holiday, Parades.

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.

Celebrate Christmas on Bridge Street and holiday boat parade
The Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency paid for most of the holiday decorations adorning Bridge Street. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

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.

Celebrate Christmas on Bridge Street and holiday boat parade
The boat parade will take place Saturday evening and pass by the Bridge Street Pier. – Bradenton Beach Marina | Submitted

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.

Holiday boat parade plans taking shape

Holiday boat parade plans taking shape

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Entertainment, Parades.

BRADENTON BEACH – Bradenton Beach Marina owner and president Mike Bazzy has presented his preliminary plans for the third annual Bradenton Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade taking place Saturday, Dec. 4.

The 2020 boat parade was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its return will coincide with the return of the annual Christmas on Bridge Street celebration taking place the same day.

The holiday events are being organized by Bazzy, Paradise Boat Tours General Manager Sherman Baldwin and participating Bridge Street merchants. The Christmas on Bridge Street festivities will include live music and more, with additional details forthcoming. The December holiday events will be preceded by the annual Bridge Street Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 20.

Seeking financial support for the boat parade and Christmas on Bridge Street, Bazzy appeared before the Bradenton Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) on Wednesday, Oct. 6. He then appeared before the city commission on Thursday, Oct. 7. As they did in 2019, the CRA and the city commission each agreed to provide $500 in financial support for the boat parade and Christmas on Bridge Street.

Bazzy said he hopes to have 15-20 boats participate in this year’s boat parade.

Holiday boat parade plans taking shape
Accompanied by Alexis DeLeon, marina owner Mike Bazzy presented the boat parade plans while seeking financial support from the Bradenton Beach CRA. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Later in the week, Bazzy provided some additional boat parade details via email. According to Bazzy, the parade will begin at 6 p.m. and the participating vessels will gather ahead of time near the south end of Jewfish Key. The parade will head northwest along the Longboat Pass Bridge and then north up the Intracoastal Waterway. The parade will pass alongside the Bridge Street Pier and end at the Bradenton Beach Marina. The parade can be viewed from the Longboat Pass Bridge from 6-6:30 p.m. or from the Bridge Street Pier from 6:30-7 p.m.

“I invite boat owners to decorate their vessels and join the fun. The parade is open to powerboats and sailboats and entry into the parade is free,” Bazzy stated in his email.

The best-decorated boat will earn a $200 cash prize.

For entry forms and more information, call the Bradenton Beach Marina at 941-778-2288, or visit the boat parade website.

Those who don’t have a boat of their own are invited to participate in the boat parade as passengers aboard the marina’s “Anna Maria Princess” paddle wheeler. Those seats can be secured by visiting the boat parade website and the ticket proceeds will be donated to fighting children’s cancer.

The Sun is a sponsor of the Bradenton Beach Holiday Lighted Boat Parade and Christmas on Bridge Street.