Happy New Year: Your guide to holiday dining and events around Bradenton and Sarasota

Still need plans for ringing in the new year?

Say goodbye to this decade in style with a little bit (make that a lot) of local fun.

Here’s a guide to the top events, things to do and places to eat this New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day around Bradenton and Sarasota.

Happy new year!

New Year’s Eve

Main Street Live: Eat, drink and dance into the new year with a bustling block party in downtown Bradenton.

The seven-hour shindig will line Old Main Street with food trucks and vendors and some of the best in local live music.

Country acts The Daisy Dukes Band and Southbound will perform.

Details: 5 p.m.-midnight. New Year’s Eve. 400 12th St. W., Bradenton. Free.

Info: facebook.com/OldMainStreetMerchantsAssociation.

Sarasota pineapple drop: Why watch a ball drop on TV when you can a ring in the new year Florida style?

The annual New Year’s celebration in downtown Sarasota has become a mega block party that attracts thousands.

A carnival featuring children’s rides, games and prizes happens at Midway 5 Points Park starting at 1 p.m.

A block party on Main Street will feature hours of live music, dining and a full bar. The illuminated pineapple drops at midnight, and then the party keeps going.

Details: 1 p.m. New Year’s Eve to 2 a.m. New Year’s Day. Intersection of Main Street and Lemon Avenue, Sarasota. Free.

Info: pineappledropsarasota.com.

Brewery bash: Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton has a lot of New Year’s Eve fun to offer with live rock and roll (7-11 p.m.), a beer pong tournament (7-8 p.m.) and yoga (7:45-8:45 p.m.) in the beer garden.

The main event is a live stand up comedy show in the taproom.

Three top-notch comics will perform, and a live DJ will keep the party going into the new year.

Admission includes a complimentary champagne toast at midnight.

Comedy night details: Doors at 7:30 p.m., show at 9 p.m. New Year’s Eve. 1014 Ninth St. W., Bradenton. $25 advance. Ages 21 and up.

Info: motorworksbrewing.com.

Beachy new year: The Beach House Restaurant in Bradenton Beach celebrates the new year with a party and fireworks show over the water. This year, organizers promise the longest and most spectacular show to date.

Tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and there will be drink specials, party favors, a photo booth and a live DJ. The kitchen is open until 1 a.m.

If you don’t manage to snag a table, the fireworks can also be enjoyed from the beach.

Details: 9 p.m.-1 a.m. New Year’s Eve. Fireworks at midnight. The Beach House Restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach. beachhousedining.com.

New Year’s Day

Take a plunge for charity: The 12th annual Shamrock Shiver on Anna Maria Island will kick off the new year with a day of fun and give local charities a big boost going into 2020.

Participants dressed in costumes of all sorts get photographed and judged by a crowd for a chance at a trophy. Then, they plunge into the Gulf of Mexico. It makes for a truly unique sight on Bradenton Beach.

The plunge and the party that follows at Clancy’s Irish Sports Pub in Cortez raise money for local charities that aid disadvantaged children in Manatee and Sarasota counties. Last year’s event raised $27,284. This year’s goal: at least $25,000.

To find out how to plunge for pledges, or to donate, call Clancy’s at 941-794-2489.

Details: Arrive by 11:30 a.m. to participate in the costume contest; plunge at noon. New Year’s Day. Gulf Drive and 12th Street South, Bradenton Beach. Post-plunge party from 1-5 p.m. at Clancy’s Irish Sports Pub, 6218 Cortez Road W., Bradenton.

Info: floridawinefest.org/the-12th-annual-shamrock-shiver-charity-plunge.

New year’s hike: Whether you are looking to get some exercise before a night of partying or get a jump start on a New Year’s resolution, this might be the event for you.

Hike It Florida will lead a New Year’s Day night hike through Myakka River State Park. The five-mile hike leads through scenic ecosystems with good chances for photo ops and wildlife sightings.

Alternatively, chart your own course on the park’s 38.9-mile hiking loop.

Details: 4 p.m. New Year’s Day. Myakka River State Park, 13208 S.R. 72, Sarasota. $10, plus park admission. Advanced registration required.

Info: hikeitflorida.com.

Dining

enRich Bistro: A festive New Year’s Eve menu at enRich Bistro includes elegant soups, shared plates and salads for starters.

Go all out with entree choices including an angus filet with local vegetables, free range veil chop, roasted duck and pan-seared local grouper.

For dessert, there’s strawberry pound cake, a flourless chocolate torte or cannoli cheesecake.

Details: 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. New Year’s Eve. enRich Bistro, 5629 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton. Reservations recommended.

Info: 941-792-0990. enrichbistro.com.

Flavors of India: Enjoy daily lunch and dinner buffets with spreads of traditional Indian dishes — including plenty of vegan and vegetarian options.

If going out is a stretch, the restaurant also offers online ordering and delivery within a 3-mile radius.

Details: Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. 6103 14th St. W., Bradenton.

Mattison’s restaruants: All three Mattison’s locations will be open on New Year’s Eve offering festive dining and live entertainment.

Mattison’s City Grille in Sarasota is a great place to watch the annual pineapple drop, and Mattison’s City Grille at Bradenton Riverwalk offers some of the best al fresco dining around on the Manatee River and live music through midnight.

Appetizer choices on the holiday menu include bruschetta, crab cakes, salads and shrimp cocktails. A wide array of entrees includes a wild mushroom pasta, fish and chips, rosemary honey-glazed salmon, lamb, duck, prime rib and ribeye plates.

Details: Hours vary by location. Open New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Reservations recommended. Mattison’s Riverwalk Grille, 101 Riverwalk Blvd., Bradenton. Mattison’s City Grille Downtown Sarasota, 1 N. Lemon Ave., Sarasota. Mattison’s Forty-One, 7275 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

Info: mattisons.com.

Old Hamburg Schnitzelhaus: Old Hamburg Schnitzelhaus in Holmes Beach will be open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day serving traditional German fare and cheer. The menu includes many varieties of schnitzel as well as salad, meat entrees, a special roast duck plate and vegetarian options.

Enjoy your food with imported wine or German beer on draft.

Details: 4:30-9 p.m. New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Reservations recommended. 3246 E. Bay Drive., Holmes Beach. 941-778-1320. schnitzel.house.

Ortygia: Looking for unique and romantic dining this new year? Ortygia serves up authentic Sicilian fare in a cozy dining space in Village of the Arts. The restaurant will host two candlelit dinner seatings on New Year’s Eve with a fixed price menu and live music.

Details: Dinner at 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. New Year’s Eve. Call 941-741-8646 for reservations. $60 per person, plus tax and gratuity. 1418 13th St. W., Bradenton. ortygiarestaurant.com.

Pier 22: Pier 22 Restaurant in downtown Bradenton will stay open late on New Year’s Eve, and there are two options for celebrating.

Enjoy dining on the first floor and terrace with a chef-created holiday menu, a live DJ, photo booth access, party favors and a cash bar. Reservations are available from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. After dinner, lounge areas will remain open for socializing.

You can make the new year even swankier with a reservation for the VIP Ballroom Party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The party features a dinner buffet, open bar, a DJ, photo booth access, party favors and a midnight toast and balloon drop. Access to the party is $119.95 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Ages 21 and up.

Details: Open 11:30 a.m. New Year’s Eve-1 a.m. New Year’s Day. 1200 First Ave. W., Bradenton. Call 941-748-8087 for reservations.

Info: pier22dining.com.

This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 12:00 AM.