Here are the top March events around Bradenton — from St. Patrick’s Day to music fests
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If you need help planning your weekends in March, we’ve got you covered.
From music festivals to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, shows, spring training and a circus, there are plenty of options for local fun around Bradenton, Anna Maria Island and Sarasota.
Here’s a look at what’s on tap.
Music on Main in Lakewood Ranch
Music on Main brings family-friendly fun to the heart of Lakewood Ranch on the first Friday of every month.
Food vendors, beer trucks, booths and kids activities will line the street.
Each month’s event benefits a different local charity.
Guests are welcome to bring chairs and dogs on short leashes.
Details: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March. 1. 8100 Lakewood Main St., Lakewood Ranch. Free.
Info: LakewoodRanch.com
Village of the Arts Art Walk and Studio Tour
The creative folks of the Village of the Arts in Bradenton will open their more than 25 businesses on the first weekend of March for a display of crafts, goods, healing arts, food, live music and more.
Whether you fancy folk art or fine art, creative cuisine, antiques, furniture, records or quilting, Village of the Arts has something to offer most tastes.
Friday night, the Village will host an Art Walk and market with live music.
Come back on Saturday for another day of Art Walk, plus studio tours that offer a behind-the-scenes look at artists’ creative process.
Details: 6-9:30 p.m. Friday, March 1 and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 2. Village of the Arts, downtown Bradenton.
Info: villageofthearts.com
Spring Plants and More Sale
Get your green thumb back in action at Palma Sola Botanical Park’s plant sale, where growers will offer a wide array of plants including orchids, bromeliads, plumerias and tropical species.
Local vendors will also be on site selling homemade treats, goods and crafts. Food vendors are another reason to stop by.
The event is a fundraiser for the nonprofit botanical gardens.
Details: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, March 3. Palma Sola Botanical Park, 9800 17th Ave. NW., Bradenton. Free.
Info: 941-761-2866. palmasolabp.org
Coquina Beach Seafood and Music Festival
This free all-weekend music festival on Anna Maria Island will feature local and regional bands playing rock, blues, funk, country and more.
Vendors will offer fresh seafood and other dining options, and there will also be a market of Floridian arts and crafts.
Details: 4-10 p.m. Friday. March 15; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, March 16; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, March 17. 1800 Gulf Dr. S., Bradenton Beach. Free.
Info: ParagonFestivals.com/festival/coquina-beach-seafood-music-festival.
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations
Lakewood Ranch Irish Celtic Festival: Lakewood Ranch Community Activities will host an early St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 9 with all-day family fun.
The event will include traditional Celtic food, beer, whiskey and cider, art vendors, a relay race, live entertainment and kids’ activities.
Another highlight of the event is the Lucky Dog Parade.
Details: 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, March 9. Greenbrook Adventure Park, 13010 Adventure PIace, Lakewood Ranch. Free.
Info: lakewoodranch.com/event/lakewood-ranch-irish-celtic-festival
Bradenton Alive Downtown Celebration: A family-friendly street party on Old Main Street in downtown Bradenton will welcome crowds for live music and activities on St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
Food trucks and vendors will line the street, and rock band Scarlet Drive will perform.
Parking is available at the City Centre parking garage at Third Avenue West and 10th Street West.
Details: 7-11 p.m. Saturday, March 16. Old Main Street, Bradenton. Free.
Anna Maria Island St. Patrick’s Day Parade: Get decked out in green and head to the beach on St. Patrick’s Day for this annual holiday tradition on Anna Maria Island. Score beads, hear festive music and see a rainbow of colorful floats and costumes.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade route: Parade begins at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive; continues north along Marina Drive to Palm Drive to Gulf Drive; turns right on Pine Avenue; turns right on Tarpon Street; turns right on Magnolia Avenue, ending at the Center of Anna Maria Island Community Center, 407 Magnolia Avenue.
Details: 4-6 p.m. Sunday, March 17. Parade starts in Holmes Beach and ends in Anna Maria on Anna Maria Island. Free.
Info: CenterAMI.org
ST. PATRICK’S DAY RESTAURANT PARTIES:
Clancy’s Irish Sports Pub will host a St. Patrick’s Day bash on the holiday with all-day live music, bagpipers and Irish food and dancing. 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Sunday, March 17. 6218 Cortez Road W., Bradenton. Facebook.com/clancysirishsportspub.
Caddy’s Bradenton will throw a St. Patrick’s party on the Manatee River with live music, bagpipers, Irish fare, drink specials and raffles. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, March 17. 801 Riverside Dr. E., Bradenton. Facebook.com/Caddysbradenton.
Circus Sarasota
The Circus Art Conservatory’s annual spectacular at Nathan Benderson Park, Circus Sarasota, is back for its 26th outing.
“Sarasota’s hometown circus returns under a brand new, custom-designed Big Top for another year of high-flying action, heart-stopping thrills, laugh-out-loud comedic antics, and acts that defy both expectations and the boundaries of physical limitations, performed by artists from around the globe,” an event preview says.
Performers for this year’s three-week showcase include acrobatic hand balancers, horseback riding, a quick change magic duo, juggling, flying trapeze, hula hoop art and a clown act.
Details: Through Sunday, March 10. Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle, Sarasota. $24-$64. Children under two are free.
Info: CircusArts.org
Pittsburgh Pirates spring training
The Pittsburgh Pirates have returned to their home away from home at LECOM Park for spring training. That means locals and visitors have a chance to watch the team batter up against competitors like the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays.
Details: Spring training runs through Monday, March 25. LECOM Park, 1611 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. Individual game tickets are on sale. Season and multi-game tickets are available.
Live shows and concerts
MANATEE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
▪ “The Glass Menagerie,” a play by Tennessee Williams. “A cramped apartment. A family struggling to escape the past. And a gentleman caller who brings the one thing they all desperately crave – hope.” Through Sunday, March 10.
▪ “Parade,” a Tony Award-winning musical drama based on the true story of Leo Frank’s trial and lynching in early 20th century Atlanta. “Daring, innovative and bold, Parade is filled with soaring music and a heart-wrenching story, offering a moral lesson about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance that should not be forgotten.”
FLORIDA STUDIO THEATRE
▪ “The Lehman Trilogy.” “Winner of a Tony Award for Best Play, ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ is the story of a family and a company that changed the world.” Showing now through March 29.
▪ ”The Flip Side.” “With songs like ‘I’m My Own Grandpa,’ ‘The Ballad of Sigmund Freud,’ ‘Still Gonna Die,’ ‘Killed by a Coconut,’ and others, this offbeat Cabaret pays tribute to some of the best comic songwriters of the 20th Century.” Showing now through June 16.
▪ “A Night in November.” “One of the most highly acclaimed Irish comedies, ‘A Night in November’ is a hard and humorous look at ‘The Troubles’ in Northern Ireland during the 1990s. Showing through Friday, March 15.
“The White Chip.” “This autobiographical play follows Steven, an alcoholic, who loses everything because of the inability to face his addiction. As he claws his way back toward sobriety, he finds there’s always more you can lose if you don’t truly commit to changing your life. March 20-April 12.
Info: floridastudiotheatre.org
VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL HIGHLIGHTS
▪ Sunday, March 3: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
▪ Thursday, March 7 & Friday, March 8: Little Women
▪ Saturday, March 9: Terry Fator: On the Road Again
▪ Sunday, March 10: Paul Anka: Seven Decades Tour
▪ Thursday, March 14: Neil Berg’s 114 Years of Broadway
▪ Friday, March 15 - Sunday, March 17: Sarasota Orchestra presents Rhapsody in Blue @ 100
▪ Friday, March 22: Kristin Chenoweth
▪ Saturday, March 23: The Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell
▪ Tuesday, March 26 - Sunday, April 7: Hamilton
Info: vanwezel.org
Do you have an event to add to the list? Send an email with details to rballogg@bradenton.com.
