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Christmas on Bridge Street to spotlight holiday boat parade

Christmas on Bridge Street to spotlight holiday boat parade

Written by Leslie Lake on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Featured.

BRADENTON BEACH – The fifth annual Christmas on Bridge Street on Saturday, Dec. 2 will include a holiday boat parade, live music and family-friendly activities.

Beginning at 3 p.m., the Strolling Crosley Carolers will sing, Santa will be available to pose for pictures, and kids can get their faces painted and make ornaments.

When the sun goes down, the annual decorated boat parade will begin.

The best viewing location for the parade will be on the city pier, where Mike Sales will be hosting music from 6-8 p.m. The boats arrive between 6:30-7:30 p.m.

For those who would like to see the parade from the water, two local businesses are accepting passengers on their vessels and donating the proceeds to charity. Space is limited and tickets sell out quickly; visit www.annamariaprincess.com or www.seedolphins.com.

The parade can also be viewed from the Longboat Pass Bridge from 6-6:45 p.m.

Vessels in the parade will gather near the south end of Jewfish Key. The parade will head northwest along the Longboat Pass Bridge and then continue north in the Intracoastal Waterway, passing the Bradenton Beach City Pier and ending at the Bradenton Beach Marina.

For boaters who would like to join in the boat parade, entry is free and open to both powerboats and sailboats. The downloadable entry form is available at lovebradentonbeach.com.

Parade participants must attend a mandatory captain’s meeting on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the Bridge Street Pier.

Judges will be randomly selected from the crowd at the city pier. Vessels can win a cash prize in one of two categories: Best Decorated Vessel or Most Enthusiastic Vessel.

Christmas on Bridge Street attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item and help “Stuff the Truck” for the Manatee Food Bank.

Boat parade draws merrymakers to pier

Boat parade draws merrymakers to pier

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Entertainment, Featured, Holiday.

BRADENTON BEACH – Sparkling lights attracted a holiday crowd to the Bradenton Beach Pier to watch the Fourth Annual Bradenton Beach Holiday Boat Parade on Saturday.

Boat owners were invited to show their holiday spirit by decorating their vessels in the festive parade along the Intracoastal Waterway. In addition to being a lot of fun, cash prizes were up for grabs, and it was obvious to any spectator that a lot of work went into decorating the boats.

The parade had 26 entries with the award for Best Decorated Vessel going to Paradise Boat Tours and the award for Most Enthusiastic Vessel going to Ronald Lorfing on Knotty Times, “Celebrating Florida’s Space Heritage.”

Boat parade draws merrymakers to pier
People gather at the Bridge Street Pier in Bradenton Beach to watch the 2022 Holiday Boat Parade. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

Bridge Street closed to traffic starting at noon to allow the large crowd plenty of room to walk around and enjoy the shops and restaurants, most of which stayed open late to allow for shopping, dining, a visit with Santa and dancing to the music of several bands at local bars that went on all day and well into the night.

“We’re down here from Michigan for a couple of weeks,” Michelle Holt said. “We’re up there freezing our tails off and shoveling snow. We get down here and you guys are in shorts dancing in the streets. We know this place is great, but everything this Island does is just over-the-top fun!”

The best viewing point for the parade was the Bradenton Beach Pier, which was packed with spectators on the north and south sides. The Anna Maria Oyster Bar had beverages available on the pier, and music from local bars could be heard in the distance. Although alcohol was allowed on the street for this event, Bradenton Beach police said everyone was just having a good time and they hadn’t experienced any serious problems.

Boat parade draws merrymakers to pier
The 37-foot tree was the center of the action as holiday revelers gathered on Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach for the Holiday Faire and Boat Parade on Saturday. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

If you didn’t make it to the boat parade, don’t worry; there’s plenty of time to enjoy Bridge Street, which currently features the most Christmas lights ever placed on any single street in the history of Anna Maria Island. The almost 40-foot tree (also a record for the Island) and the lights will remain lit through the end of the month, and many shops are staying open late for holiday shopping.

Holiday Boat Parade setting sail soon

Holiday boat parade setting sail soon

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

BRADENTON BEACH – A fleet of delightfully lit and decorated boats will pass along the Bradenton Beach shoreline during the second annual Bradenton Beach Holiday Boat Parade.

Setting sail on Saturday, Dec. 14, the Holiday Boat Parade is hosted and organized by Bradenton Beach Marina and its president, Mike Bazzy.

The parade will begin at 7 p.m. near the south end of Jewfish Key, travel past the Longboat Pass Bridge, head north through the Intracoastal Waterway and pass by the Bridge Street Pier before ending at the Bradenton Beach Marina. The boat parade is expected to last 60 to 90 minutes.

Boat owners are invited and encouraged to display their holiday spirit by entering their decorated vessels. Entry is free and open to powerboats and sailboats. Cash prizes will be awarded in multiple categories, including the category for best lighting and the category for most holiday spirit.

Entry forms can be downloaded from the boat parade website, www.boat-parade.com.

The Holiday Boat Parade coincides with the Christmas on Bridge Street holiday event taking place on Bridge Street that afternoon and evening.

The parade can best be viewed from the Bridge Street Pier from 7:30-8 p.m., or before then from the Longboat Pass Bridge as the parade gets started.

Those without a boat can catch a ride aboard the Bradenton Beach Marina’s old-fashioned paddlewheeler, the Anna Maria Princess. Space is limited, so please call 941-778-2288 to reserve your spot.

The Holiday Boat Parade is sponsored by the Bradenton Beach Marina, the city of Bradenton Beach, the Bridge Street Bazaar, the Bridge Tender Inn, the BridgeWalk Resort, Paradise Boat Tours, Yolo Parasail and The Anna Maria Island Sun.

For more information, visit the boat parade website, call John or Mike at 941-778-2288 or email dockmaster@bradentonbeachmarina.com.

Bradenton Beach Boat Parade

Holiday boat parade sets sail

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

BRADENTON BEACH – Bradenton Beach Marina president Mike Bazzy invites boaters to participate in the inaugural Bradenton Beach Holiday Boat Parade on Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Intracoastal Waterway.

“We hope boat owners will participate, and people who aren’t boat owners will at least come down and enjoy the parade. We hope people will stay for the parade after going to Christmas on Bridge Street,” Bazzy said.

The parade route will begin near the Cortez Bridge and head south to Longboat Pass Bridge. The parade will then turn back to the north, pass the historic Bridge Street Pier and end at the Bradenton Beach Marina. The boat parade is expected to take 60 to 90 minutes. Entry is free and the parade is open to powerboats and sailboats.

The parade can be viewed by land from the Cortez Bridge when the parade starts, from the Longboat Pass Bridge when the boats turn around and from the historic Bridge Street Pier that Bazzy says will provide the optimal view of the lighted boats.

“The parade will end at the marina and on the final approach the boats will come right beside the pier before turning into the marina. About halfway down the pier, on the north side, will be the best place to see the boats. They’ll be about 50 feet away from you there,” Bazzy said.

Bazzy said there are two reasons for this year’s boat parade: “There had been a boat parade put on by the Cortez Yacht Club for many years, but they stopped doing it a couple years ago, so we’ve been without a boat parade.”

The old boat parade began at the north end of Longboat Key and ended at the Seafood Shack in Cortez.

“The second thing is it’s been a tough year for those of us who make our living on the water and for all the businesses out here (because of the red tide). It would be nice to get a little exposure and for people to see that boating is still good around here and the water is very pleasant. It’s a good time to come to the Island,” Bazzy said.

The boat parade is being sponsored by the Bradenton Beach Marina and Island Pearl Excursions.

Click for entry forms and more information, or call 941-778-2288.

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Christmas on Bridge Street