December boasts two Old Main Street events, including one on Saturday

There’s a double dose of Main Street Live in December, as the holidays bring both a Christmas party and a New Year’s Eve Party to downtown Bradenton.

The Christmas party is first, of course. It’s set for this weekend – Saturday, to be exact. (The New Year’s Eve party is, as you’d expect, on Dec. 31.)

In case you’re new in town, or otherwise unfamiliar with the event, Main Street Live is a street party on Old Main Street, in the heart of downtown Bradenton.

There’s pretty much one a month from October through May, and most of them are associated with a holiday. The street is closed to traffic for a few blocks, from Manatee Avenue north to Third Avenue West. There’s a stage set up closer to the Manatee Avenue end with live music all through the night. Vendors line the street and all the bars and restaurants on Old Main are open for business.

For this weekend’s Christmas event, the music comes from Kettle of Fish. The popular Bradenton band plays covers from the likes of Little Feat, the Rolling Stones, the Neville Brothers and the Allman Brothers Band, plus originals that blend rock, blues, reggae and New Orleans soul.