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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 happy holiday crowd

Boat parade draws happy holiday crowd

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Bradenton Beach, Community News.

BRADENTON BEACH – Locals and tourists flooded Bridge Street to watch the 3rd Annual Bradenton Beach Holiday Boat Parade on Saturday, Dec. 4.

Boat owners were invited to show their holiday spirit by decorating their vessels in a festive parade along the Intracoastal Waterway. In addition to being a lot of fun, cash prizes were up for grabs for their efforts.

Boat parade draws happy holiday crowd
Frosty leads the way. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

The best viewing point for the parade was Bradenton Beach Pier which was packed with spectators on the north and south sides. The Anna Maria Oyster Bar had beverages available, and music from The Bridge Tender Inn & Dockside Bar could be heard in the distance.

“This is amazing that you guys have something like this. My husband and I had no idea how this would work. When we heard boat parade, we thought they would be coming down the road pulled by trailers,” laughed Janelle Cox, of Bristol, Virginia.

The evening was more than just the boat parade. There was live music at the bars, Santa was hanging with the Anna Maria Island Privateers by the town Christmas tree in the post office parking lot and shops stayed open late to keep the festivities going late into the evening.

Boat parade draws happy holiday crowd
A busy night on Bridge Street. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

If you didn’t make it to the 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 40-foot tree (also a record for the Island) and all the lights will remain lit through the end of the month, and many shops are staying open late for holiday shopping.

Bradenton Beach Christmas on Bridge Street Winning boat

Holiday celebrations on Bridge Street

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Entertainment, Events, Family fun, Holiday.

BRADENTON BEACH – The celebration spotlight Saturday night was on Bridge Street as merchants opened their stores, offering snacks and drinks to shoppers and a lighted boat parade took to the water off of the Bridge Street Pier. Despite the cooler weather, shoppers came out to see the decorations and participate in the annual holiday celebration.

The Anna Maria Island Privateers held a fundraiser at the Drift In and musicians Steve Arvey, Rebecca Bird and Deacon Gibson performed from a flatbed trailer that went up and down the street. There were also songs from the Manatee School for the Arts Thespian Troupe 6458 who were raising money for traveling competitions.

Bradenton Beach holiday on Bridge Street bridge st jewelers
Kassy, Quinn and Julia Lombardo offered complimentary popcorn at Bridge Street Jewelers. – Tom Vaught | Sun

The heart of the city’s commercial district was festively decorated by the public works department with holiday lights around public signs, streetlights and the Bridge Street clock. Visitors posed for photos and selfies in front of the Christmas tree in the roundabout at the east end of the street.

As 7 p.m. neared, the people headed for the pier to get a look at the Bradenton Beach Holiday Boat Parade.  Twelve boats competed for the top prize, along with the Bradenton Beach police boat.

Bradenton Beach holiday Anna Maria Princess
The Anna Maria Princess paddle boat led the lighted boat parade. – Submitted

Participating boaters gathered at the north side of the Cortez Bridge and at 6:30 p.m., they turned on their lights and paraded in a circle by the Seafood Shack, and then they lined up for the 7 p.m. opening of the drawbridge. When it opened, they sailed south close to the Cortez side of the bay and went down to Longboat Pass, where they turned around and headed south near Anna Maria Island. As they did, the crowd on the pier cheered and took pictures of the boats up close.

Bradenton Beach holiday boat team Erik Jones and crew
The lighted boat parade’s winning team celebrates their victory. – Submitted | Mike Bazzy

Eric Jones and his crew won the $200 prize for the best-decorated boat.

Organizer Mike Bazzy called the parade a success and said he would organize another one next year.