Community Bradenton Gets Ready for Tonight's Grand De Soto Parade

BRADENTON -- The De Soto Parade returns to Bradenton this weekend. The Grand Parade is the culmination of the month-long De Soto festival, put on each year by the Hernando De Soto Society, which also includes a bottle-regatta, music and fashion show, and Friday's Grand Ball, in which the new De Soto queen was crowned.

This year's parade has over 150 illuminated entries. It begins at 6:30 p.m. at Manatee High School, proceeds up 39th Street to West Manatee Avenue, the main parade route, and heads east all the way to downtown Bradenton.

Garbage bags will be distributed before the parade, courtesy of Keep Manatee Beautiful, Wildlife Rescue and the City of Bradenton. Parade goers are asked to put all waste in those bags or garbage bags from home and leave the waste at the curb. City of Bradenton Solid Waste crews will follow the last float, and be cleaning the streets as they parade moves along. Attendees can help Keep Manatee Beautiful and prevent wildlife injuries by simply putting all waste at the curb for removal.