BAM! to return in 2026, 2027
By Lisa Neff
Bradenton’s BAM! Fest proved big and it’ll be back next year.
The Manatee County Tourist Development Council, meeting June 16 at the Center of Anna Maria Island in Anna Maria, unanimously voted to recommend the board of county commissioners allocate up to $100,000 for BAM! Fest in 2026 and up to $100,000 in 2027.
There was no hesitation on the motion for the recommendation following a report to the advisory council by Realize Bradenton executive director Karen Corbin.
“We had a concept,” Corbin said of the inaugural BAM! Fest, a free-admission event held April 5 on Bradenton’s riverfront. “We had a pretty big dream. Our dream was to curate a local-centric visual and performing arts festival that would activate over a mile of the Riverwalk in downtown Bradenton. We wanted it to be different and truly engaging.”
Realize Bradenton called the event the Bradenton Art and Music Festival — BAM! Fest, “an immersive Bradenton arts experience.”
Corbin thanked the TDC for supporting the launch and informed the commission-appointed board that more than 13,000 people participated in the festival.
“We wanted to highlight one of the city’s most significant assets, the Riverwalk, and demonstrate how all of the public spaces could be activated,” Corbin said of the goal.
She added, “We wanted to celebrate and showcase a variety of visual and performing arts from all over the region. We wanted to support local businesses and entrepreneurs. We wanted residents and visitors to experience that that ‘wow’ feeling when you see something really special. We accomplished all of the above.”
The eight-hour event featured musical entertainment; dance, theater and spoken-word performances, artist showcases, large-scale art installations, sand-sculpting, art demonstrations, mural painting, makers’ vending space and food and beverage offerings.
Realize Bradenton employed and highlighted 58 visual artists and 14 musical acts and collaborated with nine community and cultural partners.
The event, supported by 30 local sponsors and more than 125 volunteers, also featured more than a dozen food vendors.
“It truly was a memorable day,” Corbin said.
“It takes a village,” she said.
BAM! “was a successful event in many, many measures. … I am pleased and proud to see say that the event exceeded all of our goals in the first year and we are already in full mode of planning for 2026.”
At the conclusion of Corbin’s remarks, Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, quickly suggested the TDC get behind the return of BAM! Fest, which had been described as a “pilot” program for its first year.
“What a night!” Falcione said of his experience at the event.
He recommended funding for the next two years because the county is working on budgets for fiscal 2025-26 and 2026-27.
Falcione added that eventually the event will become sustainable “and then we repurpose those monies to start new events.”
About Realize Bradenton
Realize Bradenton’s mission is to “enhance the vibrancy of downtown Bradenton through community engagement, events and the pursuit of insightful and innovative practices to increase social connectivity.” The nonprofit, which presents the Saturday market Old Main and other events, was founded in 2010 to implement elements from Bradenton’s 2009 Cultural Master Plan. For more information, go to www.realizebradenton.com.