Weekend guide: Here are 15 fun things to do around Bradenton and Sarasota this weekend

Are you ready for the weekend? Us too.

If you don’t have plans yet, we’re here to help.

Here’s a hand-picked guide to fun times around Bradenton, Sarasota, Tampa Bay and beyond.

Are we missing a big event? Drop us a line at rballogg@bradenton.com.

Fun for everyone

Feel the blues: Bradenton Blues Fest happens Saturday. The all-day concert brings some of the top national acts in blues to Bradenton Riverwalk. It’s also sold out.

If you didn’t manage to snag a ticket, you can still enjoy a free “Blues Appetizer” concert on Friday that will kick off the Bradenton Blues Weekend. The free concert will feature local talents the Rusty Wright Band and the Duffy Bishop Band on the scenic Bradenton Riverwalk.

Limited tickets also remain for a Blues Brunch meal at Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday featuring The Divebombers.

Details: 6-9 p.m. Friday. Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion, 452 Third Ave. W., Bradenton. Free.

Info: bradentonbluesfestival.org.

Maritime celebration: Florida Maritime Museum in Cortez will celebrate 12 years of sharing coastal history and heritage with a special after-hours event this Saturday.

“Maritime by Candlelight” invites visitors to enjoy a candlelit tour of the museum, photo ops with a seafaring Santa Claus, a shell ornament activity and a maritime-themed light ceremony.

Cortez restaurant Bunny and Pirates on Tap will provide light bites, and members of the U.S. Coast Guard Station of Cortez will bring by a boat.

Details: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday. Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez. Free.

Info: floridamaritimemuseum.org.

Night out

Ugly sweater party: Throw on your most atrocious holiday sweater and head to Darwin Brewing Company and Taproom this Friday for an ugly sweater party with a contest, prizes and craft beer.

DJ Victor Amato will spin tunes, 73 Degree Flea will be on site with a craft market of locally-made goods, and fusion food truck Spice Boys Kitchen will provide good eats.

Details: 6-10 p.m. Friday. Darwin Brewing Company, 803 17th Ave. W., Bradenton. No cover.

Info: darwinbrewingco.com.

Holiday fun

Holiday market: Manatee County’s annual Holiday Gift Fair & Carols in the Courtyard happens this Thursday.

The market will include woodworking, gourmet foods, home decor, clothing, jewelry, soaps, crafts and more.

A pulled pork lunch will be available for $8, and cookies and coffee are also in store.

Also enjoy holiday music.

The event benefits United Way Suncoast.

Details: 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday. Manatee County Administration Building, 1112 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.

Info: mymanatee.org.

Palmetto’s Christmas at the Park: Palmetto will welcome the holiday season this Saturday with a free festival at Palmetto Historical Park.

Christmas at the Park will include decorated buildings, kids’ crafts and contests, reindeer games, and a chance to meet Santa (don’t forget a camera). Kids can also take a slide down a snow hill.

Food vendors will be at hand to serve up sweet treats, barbecue and sandwiches.

Details: 3-8 p.m. Saturday. Palmetto Historical Park, 515 10th Ave. W., Palmetto. Free.

Info: palmettohistoricalpark.com.

Enchant Christmas: Step into a scene from a winter snow globe at Enchant Christmas, a holiday wonderland inside Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. The fun-for-all-ages event includes an enormous 90,000-square-foot light maze, a kids’ zone, ice skating, food and drink and shopping.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there, too.

St. Petersburg is one of only three cities nationwide to host the event this year, and it’s the first in the Southeast to do so.

Details: Opens 4 p.m. daily through Dec. 29; closing time varies depending on day. Tropicana Field, 1 Tropicana Dr., St. Petersburg. $14.99-$32.99. Family, senior, student, military and first responder discounts available.

Info: enchantchristmas.com.

Dining guide

NEW IN TOWN — A slice of Sicily: Nonna’s Pizza Restaurant, a new family-owned eatery in Bradenton, specializes in Sicilian-style thin crust pies.

Also choose from appetizers, hero sandwiches, salads, calzones, soups, salads and desserts. The restaurant owners also plan to offer beer and wine.

Take out and delivery are available in addition to dining in.

Nonna’s Pizza Restaurant is at 7604 Cortez Rd. Unit 10, Bradenton.

Info: 941-761-8327.

Live music highlights

Adam Wood at Bunny and Pirates on Tap: Adam Wood will play his blend of acoustic, country and light rock in the beer garden at Bunny and Pirates.

Details: 7 p.m. Friday. Bunny and Pirates on Tap, 12404 Cortez Road W., Bradenton. No cover.

Info: facebook.com/bunnyandpirates.

The Kat Crosby Band at Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille: The Kat Crosby Band plays “sophisticated blues with “a hint of jazz and hot guitar.”

Details: 7-10 p.m. Friday. Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille, Downtown Bradenton, 101 Riverwalk Blvd., Bradenton. No cover.

Info: mattisons.com.

The Easy Posse Band at Joyland: Joyland is a great place to catch local and national country acts in Bradenton — and get in some line dancing.

The Easy Posse Band plays sets full of country hits for drinking, dancing and singing along around the Tampa Bay area.

Details: 9:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday. Joyland Country Music Night Club, 5520 14th St. W., Bradenton. $7 cover.

Info: joylandbradenton.com.

Phoebe Hunt and Dominick Leslie at Fogartyville: Acclaimed Americana artist Phoebe Hunt returns to Fogartyville this Sunday.

The vocalist and fiddle player will be joined by her husband, mandolin player Dominick Leslie, for this special performance.

Details: 6 p.m. Sunday. Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center, 525 Kumquat Ct., Sarasota. $15.

Info: wslr.org/fogartyville.

Tropico BLVD at Motorworks Brewing: “Combining vocal harmonies, catchy songwriting and fun live shows,” Tropico BLVD plays “quirky, sunshine-fueled rhythm rock from Tampa Bay.”

Details: 7-11 p.m. Saturday. Motorworks Brewing, 1014 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. No cover.

Info: motorworksbrewing.com.

This story was originally published December 4, 2019 at 7:18 AM with the headline "Weekend guide: Here are 15 fun things to do around Bradenton and Sarasota this weekend."