Who will be marshal of Bradenton’s 2022 De Soto Parade? Hint: It involves Champa Bay

One of Florida’s biggest annual parades will celebrate in Champa Bay style this year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leading the way.

Bradenton’s De Soto Grand Parade, held each year in April, draws as many as 200,000 observers from Southwest Florida and the Tampa Bay area. The event is put on by the nonprofit Hernando De Soto Historical Society.

On Wednesday, the society announced the call to name the entire Bucs organization as parade grand marshals for 2022.

The two-time Super Bowl champions are fresh off another winning season with quarterback Tom Brady at the helm that saw them once again make the playoffs.

Will Brady and other big Bucs names make an appearance in Bradenton? It’s a mystery for now.

So far, Bucs cheerleaders and the team’s mascot, Captain Fear, are confirmed to participate, parade organizers say. The parade coincides with National Football League draft weekend, which they note might limit the availability of players and management.

This year’s parade will again feature more than 150 decorated and illuminated floats rolling through downtown Bradenton. The historical society boasts that parade krewes come from around the U.S. and as far away as Canada to participate. Lawn chairs typically begin lining the parade route days in advance as locals stake out their viewing spots.

Founded in 1939, the Hernando De Soto Historical Society is a volunteer organization that raises money for charity and scholarships with annual events. The De Soto Heritage Festival is the highlight; the two-week April event includes a children’s parade, a ball, a 5K run, a “capture” of Bradenton City Hall and the Grand Parade.

The society, whose members style themselves as conquistadors, celebrates the historical significance of Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his landing on the west coast of Florida in May 1539. The society maintains a relationship between Bradenton and Barcarrota, Spain, one of several towns that claims to be de Soto’s birthplace.

The 2022 parade will begin at 7 p.m. on April 30. The parade begins at Manatee High School, travels west on Ninth Avenue West, north on 39th Street West and then east on Manatee Avenue West, ending at Ninth Street West.

Visit desotohq.com/parade for more info.

This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 5:31 PM.