With over 150 entries, the De Soto Grand Parade is one of the largest and oldest parades in the Southeastern United States. Over 100,000 people line the streets of Bradenton to view the illuminated floats and catch a glimpse of our new Hernando de Soto, Captain of the Crewe and their newly crowned Queen and Princess. Beads, coins and other fun items are handed to the crowd throughout the night.
The Parade steps off at 7:00 pm from Manatee High School, so get there early to get the best possible view.
All parade participants utilizing a motorized vehicle in the parade must provide a certificate of insurance with the following Additional Insured clause:
Space is extremely limited in staging. Each entry has space allocated to it based upon the information (size/length of entry) provided in the application. Entries that are significantly larger or not conforming to the application submitted may be assessed additional fees, moved to the end of the parade, or prohibited from participating – forfeiting their entry fee. Walking entries are limited to bands, drill teams, or unique entries approved by the Parade Committee.
The Signage On Your Entry Must Match Your Application
Except for licensed towing companies like Stepps Towing, all signage on your entry or float must match your application. For example, if you enter as “Great Giving Charities”, then the signage on your entry (except for your tow vehicle as stated above) must state “Great Giving Charities” or information about Great Giving Charities such as “Giving back to American’s In Need”, etc. You cannot add the name of a sponsor or other entity such as “Sponsored by American Plumbing”.
We are a non-for-profit organization. We incur significant up-front expenses in putting this event on, and they are not refundable. Therefore the Hernando de Soto Historical Society will not be able to issue refunds, nor deferrals for the cancellation of this event due to weather conditions or public safety – circumstances that are obviously beyond our control.
The parade begins at Manatee High School at the corner of 9th Avenue West and 30th Street West. The total route is 2.5 miles. The roads are closed at 5PM.
Designated parking locations are indicated on the Parade Route map.
Can’t make it to the parade? That’s ok! You can now watch live on the following streaming options:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HernandoDeSoto/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeSotoTV/streams
MOR-TV:https://mor-tv.com