Guide to Bradenton’s De Soto Grand Parade in 2024: New route, weather and other info
One of the Bradenton area’s oldest traditions is back with some major updates in 2024.
The De Soto Grand Parade is one of the largest and oldest in the Southeast. It draws tens of thousands of people to Bradenton, where illuminated floats stream down Manatee Avenue and kids collect beads and coins. Over 150 entries are set to participate in the 2024 parade.
This year’s parade will feature a new route and a daytime street festival in downtown Bradenton that one parade organizer describes as a “mini Gasparilla.”
“We think it will be a much bigger, better event,” Grand Parade co-chairman Tom Murphy said earlier this year.
After the event was canceled the last two years due to stormy weather, anticipation is high for a successful outing this time around.
“We’re praying for good weather,” Murphy said.
Here’s everything you need to know before you go.
Downtown Bradenton pre-parade party
A Pre-Parade Party will start at 4 p.m. at the intersection of Manatee Avenue and Old Main Street. It will include live music and street vendors, organizers say.
For kids, there will be entertainment, bounce houses and games.
Crowds can also watch parade floats stage up.
De Soto Grand Parade 5K
At 6 p.m., another tradition will return when the De Soto Grand Parade 5K walk and run takes off along Manatee Avenue.
As of Monday, there are a little over 170 spots left in the race.
Money raised by the 5K supports local student running athletes, organizers say.
De Soto Grand Parade route and start time
The parade will start a bit later this year — around 7:30 p.m.
The new 1.75-mile route will reverse the De Soto Grand Parade’s traditional path.
It will kick off in downtown Bradenton on Manatee Avenue at Ninth Street West. It will then proceed westbound on Manatee Avenue, ending at 39th Street West.
Organizers hope to match last year’s count of 155 parade entries. The event typically draws up to 200,000 observers from Southwest Florida and the Tampa Bay area.
Paradegoers are known to stake out their spots days in advance with a well-placed lawn chair.
Bradenton and Palmetto traffic closures
At 1 p.m., westbound Manatee Avenue will close between First Street West and Ninth Street West and from Ninth Street West to 14th Street West for parade staging and the Pre-Parade Party. Ninth Street West will remain open until 7 p.m., and westbound Manatee Avenue traffic will be re-routed.
Eastbound Manatee Avenue traffic will not be affected during the day.
From 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Manatee Avenue will close in both directions from First Street West to 43rd Street West.
Unlike previous years, the northbound lanes of the Green Bridge to Palmetto will remain open throughout the entire parade, and the southbound lanes will close about 45 minutes before parade time. Third Avenue West and Ninth Avenue West will also remain open throughout the parade.
“Now, if you are downtown and your kids get tired before the end of the parade, you can leave via several roadways that were closed in the past, and with minimal traffic congestion,” Hernando de Soto Historical Society president Dennis Romano said in a news release.
Roads are expected to reopen by 11 p.m.
Parking
Free, no-time-limit parking is available in the following places in downtown Bradenton on the weekend:
The City Centre Parking Facility on Third Avenue West between 10th and 12th Streets
Judicial Center Parking Garage, 615 12th St. West
County Administration Building, 414 10th St. West
Post Office parking lot, located on Manatee Avenue between Eighth and Ninth Streets
Weather and cancellation
Parade organizers say the one factor they can’t control is the weather.
The De Soto Grand Parade was canceled the last two years due to thunderstorms, much to the disappointment of the community.
Organizers say that due to the size and logistics of the parade, they only have one chance to pull it off.
“It’s impossible to reschedule,” Grand Parade co-chairman Tom Murphy said. “We’ve got floats and crews coming in from all over the country and from Barcarrota, Spain. It’s a one-shot deal.”
But the forecast for this year looks promising.
As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service predicts no significant chance of rain for Saturday afternoon and Saturday night.
The forecast calls for a mostly sunny and breezy Saturday with a high near 90 degrees and a partially cloudy evening with a temperature in the low 80s around parade start time.
Details: Parade starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Starting at Manatee Avenue and Ninth Street West and proceeding west along Manatee Avenue to 39th Street West. Free.
Info: deSotoHQ.com.
