BRADENTON, Fla — Fast boats, firework, and lots of free family fun is the perfect recipe for a great weekend.
During a press conference at Pier 22, details of activities and events for the 6th annual Bradenton Area River Regatta were revealed.
“It’s almost here! We’ve been counting down the days,” said the co-owner of Powerboats Superleague, Sherron Winer.
This free event is Manatee County’s largest spectator event. This year it’ll be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Representatives from several of the signature acts, along with community leaders, were at the press conference to help Bradenton and Palmetto officials outline all the fun activities and amazing shows we can expect.
If you like watching boats go really fast, this will get your blood pumping. Powerboats will be going 120 mph on the Manatee River.
New this year, you'll be able to hear all the action with free ear-clip headsets. The Regatta partnered with LA Live Sports Radio to give out 5,000 headsets on a first-come, first-serve basis.
They’re also introducing a brand-new category and class of race boat.
“So in addition to the very popular Formula 2 boats, which are outboard tunnel boats, we’re bringing in an inboard which means the engine is inside the boat, not visible. Jersey Speed Skiffs!” Winer said.
“Skiff are a very unique class. You need two people in the boat, where these other boats only have one person,” Mike Buturla said.
Mike Buturla is the owner and driver of the JS-712 skiff boat. He says he’s racing runs in the family.
“I started racing when he was 16-year-old,” Buturla said.
With two national championships already under his belt, he’s hoping to take home the win at the Bradenton River Regatta.
“I’m hoping I’m going to take first place, show them that, you know go out there and take them all to school,” Buturla said.
Winer says they wanted to add something new and fresh to this year's Regatta so follow their company tagline, "Tradition with innovation."
“What makes it exciting, this community, Bradenton and Palmetto bring out the people," Winer said. "It’s not much fun if you’re going to race in front of a handful, but when you fill a bridge a mile long at least four deep, and both sides of the river are packed with people you know there are probably 200,000 people for a boat race that’s absolutely phenomenal."
Also new this year, the LECOM Regatta Bridge Run, a 5K family run and walk traveling through the streets of Palmetto and finishing on the Green Bridge under the firework show. The race will start at 5:30 p.m. You can still sign up here.
Returning to the water this year is World Flyboard Champion Kristen “The Destroyer” Smoyer. She’ll be there showing off her stunts through the air. And if she’s not enough for you, two stunt dog corps will perform gravity-defining maneuvers on the Manatee Riverwalk Great Lawn all day.
On land, there’s plenty of musical acts and concerts to go around. This year’s headliners are nationally acclaimed Bowie Live, the ultimate David Tribute band on the Bradenton Main Stage, and Florida-native son, Andy Pursell and band in Palmetto.
Other featured entertainment throughout the day includes Bradenton’s Sam Woolf, the Billy Rice Band, Soul Circuit Cowboys, and Trevor Bystrom & Firewater.
At the grand finale, you can expect a bigger firework show than years previous. Zambelli International says it takes them a year to plan the show. This year they collaborated with European makers to provide a kaleidoscopic display. They’re shooting off new fireworks only meant for the water.
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