Festivals for All

Festivals are a favorite pastime in the comfortable climate of the winter months when Manatee County enjoys a population boom. We look forward each year as the Manatee County Fair attracts visitors of all ages, and when Cortez, in its picturesque fishing town style, offers its annual Seafood Festival.  We also wait anxiously for the Anna Maria Island Festival of Fine Arts, the Palmetto Winter Craft Fair, the Kayak & Outdoor Festival, and the yearly Antiques and Collectibles show that fills the Bradenton Municipal Auditorium.

Spring rings in with the Manatee Heritage Days, as annual walking tours take in some of the area's more historic sites and waterfront areas, as well as some of the area's highly acclaimed neighborhoods. There are also concerts, craft shows and a parade embraced in this celebration. Another favorite seasonal tradition is SpringFest on Anna Maria Island.

This year, DeSoto National Memorial will celebrate the Parks 59th Birthday at the DeSoto National Memorial as well as the 468th anniversary of DeSoto's Landing in May. Living History programs are demonstrated by costumed rangers and volunteers. Demonstrations of period weapons, blacksmithing, cooking, and a variety of other activities are showcased. Celebrated on the grounds of Holmes Beach City Hall, it is a feast of live entertainment and tantalizing food.

The heritage parade and train tour in the community of Parrish is another springtime festivity, as well as Terra Ceia Day and Madira Bickel Mounds celebration, which includes a luncheon, tours and an arts and crafts exhibition. The last of Florida's historic sugarcane plantations, Gamble Plantation, invites the public to an annual flower show, and the season is completed with the annual Florida Heritage Festival and Bradenton's popular Riverfest, where thousands gather to acclaim the region's cultural diversity and European heritage.

In summer months, tourists and residents alike turn their attention to celebrations such as the star-spangled Independence Day bash held in historic Palmetto and the Wildlife Awareness Festival held to commemorate the birthday of the county's manatee mascot, Snooty, as well as a host of fishing tournaments.

The fall months experience no shortage of festivals either. Going to the Pumpkin Festival provides a day in the country as you visit a real working farm, taste homemade apple cider, and go on a hayride. The area's largest cash crop, the tomato, is commemorated just before Thanksgiving with a cook-off, antique farm equipment demonstration, entertainment and crafts. Plus, arts and crafts just seem to abound during this season. The Manatee Festival of the Arts is in November and features 3 stages of entertainment along with over 50 artists in tents, artist demo's and children activities. Art at the Ranch is a fall festival with over 90 artists hosting demonstrations, food and music at the Lakewood Ranch "New" Main Street.