Bradenton Area River Regatta 2026: Formula 1 powerboats, Concerts and Fireworks on the Manatee
By Lisa Neff
Formula 1 powerboats return to the Manatee River as the Bradenton Area River Regatta brings racing, concerts and fireworks to downtown Bradenton and Palmetto this weekend.
The Bradenton Area River Regatta takes place Feb. 20-21, bringing Formula 1 powerboats to the Manatee River and tens of thousands of spectators to the Green Bridge and the Bradenton and Palmetto riverfronts.
“It’s one of the largest events in Palmetto and Bradenton,” Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown said during the February meeting of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council, which he serves on. “It really, really brings the people out.”
Supercharged Formula 1 watercraft replace smaller Formula 2 boats as the marquee racing event Feb. 21 at the regatta. Seebold Sports, one of the dominant circuits in outboard powerboat racing, is bringing its high-speed Formula 1 team to compete in the inaugural Florida Formula 1 Championships.
Two other powerboat classes also compete Feb. 21 — Formula Lights and Tri-Hulls.
Saturday’s activities begin at 8:30 a.m., with the LECOM 5K Run/Walk at the Pier 22 restaurant in Bradenton and a kids’ fishing tournament at the Riverside Boat Ramp in Palmetto.
Other festival activities that day get underway at 10 a.m. and feature a variety of family-friendly entertainment and musical acts on both sides of the river.
Festivities conclude Feb. 21 with an awards celebration at 5 p.m. at the Palmetto Marriott Resort & Spa, 600 U.S. Highway 41 N., as well as a concert featuring a Beach Boys tribute band, Beach Buoys, at the hotel.
“I mean, what a great event,” said Anthony “Tony” DeRusso, Palmetto Marriott co-owner and TDC member.
The regatta opens Feb. 20 with musical entertainment and Friday Night Flash, a drone light show culminating in a fireworks extravaganza. Bands booked to perform 5-9 p.m. at Bradenton’s Rossi Park Pavilion include singer-songwriter Bella Garland, the ABBA tribute band ABBA Nova! and the Fleetwood Mac tribute band Sweet Fleet.
“We’re very excited to be in the 11th year of the regatta,” Brown said of the two-day event. “And we’re looking forward to this year being probably one of the biggest.”
Palmetto Mayor Dan West said in a press statement, “All are welcome.”
The day after the regatta, Feb. 22, some of the sports fans who jammed the riverfront likely will be filing into LECOM Park, 1611 Ninth St. W., Bradenton, for the Pittsburgh Pirates’ spring training home opener against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Bradenton area doesn’t have a major league team playing regular seasons, but sporting events are major draws, with the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau estimating annual visitors — participants, spectators and conference attendees — at more than 431,100. The sports market exceeds $309 million a year.
There are plans to build on those bookings, bolstered by the recent overhaul of the Bradenton Area Convention Center in Palmetto and a commitment to expand amenities at LECOM Park through Bradenton’s City Park project.
“These sports tournaments and events are massive,” DeRusso said.
“We just need 52 of those a year, you know what I mean?” he added, acknowledging the exaggeration.
But sports enthusiasts know what he means.
For more information
A schedule and additional information about the Bradenton Area River Regatta are at bradentonarearegatta.com. On Facebook, go to www.facebook.com/RiverwalkRegatta.