A Taste of Manatee moves back to the Bradenton Riverwalk

Some big changes are in store for this year’s Sysco A Taste of Manatee.

Most significantly, the popular annual event, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, is back on the Bradenton Riverwalk.

“We’re very excited about that,” said Mark Sticht, a member of the committee from the Rotary Club of West Bradenton that organizes the event. “We were in Palmetto for a couple of years. It was a wonderful location, but we’re glad to be back on the water.”

The other big change is that A Taste of Manatee will be a one-day event. It’s scheduled for 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday.

“We wanted to simplify it a little bit,” Sticht said.

There was more room at the Palmetto location, Sticht said, but the event simply wasn’t as popular with the public.

“The Riverwalk is a little cramped, logistically, but we make it work,” he said. “Palmetto had more space but attendance was down. People just want to be on the water.”

Other than those two big changes, it’s pretty much the same Taste of Manatee that has been one of Manatee County’s most popular fall festivals for three decades.

The focus is food, with 20 food vendors from around the county offering just about any kind of edibles you might be in the mood for.

Organizers are especially excited this year because the food lineup includes three culinary programs: from Sugg Middle School, Manatee High School and Southeast High School.

The idea is to offer small samples of food, in the $3-$5 range, so people can try food from several different vendors over the course of the day.

In another welcome change this year, people will be able to pay cash for their food. In the past, they’ve had to buy tickets and then exchange the tickets for food.

Besides the food, the festival also includes beer and wine vendors, and about 15 craft vendors.

Another main attraction will be the live music, and Sticht said that this year’s music lineup might be the best in the 30-year history of A Taste of Manatee.

“We really went all-out on the music this year,” he said. “It’s all local bands, but it’s some of the best-known local bands.”

Kim Betts and the Gamble Creek Band kick off the music from noon until 2 p.m., followed by Jah Movement (2-4 p.m.), the Big Daddy Band (4-6 p.m.) and the Bearded Brothers Band (6-8 p.m.).

A Taste of Manatee is a fundraiser for Rotary Club of West Bradenton programs, and this year it will raise money for the club’s all-inclusive playground program, which will build three playgrounds around the county. The playgrounds will be designed to be accessible to kids with a variety of disabilities.

Besides all of that, one aspect of this year’s festival that has organizers excited is the weather forecast.

“This is a weather-dependent event, and we’re on schedule to have great weather,” Sticht said.

Details: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 4, Bradeneton Riverwalk. Free. westbradentonrotary.com.

This story was originally published October 31, 2017 at 12:26 PM with the headline "A Taste of Manatee moves back to the Bradenton Riverwalk."