With over 150 entries, the De Soto Grand Parade is one of the largest and oldest parades in the Southeastern United States. Over 100,000 people line the streets of Bradenton to view the illuminated floats. Spectators can also catch a glimpse of our new Hernando de Soto, Captain of the Crewe and their newly crowned Queen and Princess. Beads, coins and other fun items are handed to the crowd throughout the night.
PRE-PARADE BLOCK PARTY:
Presented by Heintz Law & IHeart Radio.
The Pre-Parade Block Party will take over downtown Bradenton on Old Main Street, creating a lively, family friendly atmosphere. With a 5k race, live music, street vendors, and a Kids Zone, there's plenty to enjoy before the Grand Parade step off at 6:30PM, making it the perfect spot to experience all the excitement.
Kids Zone Presented by Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County.
ROUTE:
The parade will stage on Manatee Avenue between 1st Street and 9th Street West. This nine block section of Manatee Avenue will close at 1:00PM on parade day with westbound Manatee Avenue traffic re-routed around the parade staging area via 9th Avenue W. East bound traffic will not be affected. The remainder of Manatee Avenue from 9th Street W to 43rd Street W will close at 5:00pm to enable crowd protection barricades to be placed along the 1.75 mile route.
Northbound lanes of the Green Bridge going to Palmetto will remain open during the parade. The southbound lanes will close roughly one hour before parade starts. Third Avenue West and Ninth Avenue West will remain open throughout the parade. This route greatly improves traffic flow into and out of the downtown area during and after the parade. Several roadways that were closed in previous years, now remain open, allowing traffic to freely move into and out of downtown, even during the parade.
You may also like the following events from Hernando De Soto Historical Society:
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