BRADENTON, Fla. — The ninth annual Bradenton Area River Regatta is expected to bring $10 million in revenue to Manatee County's urban core.
Residents and guests will pour into downtown Bradenton and Palmetto — which will be linked on Saturday with the closing of the Green Bridge to create one large event with unique views.
“We want to provide the residents with free entertainment, unique entertainment, but really the objective was to create a signature event to lure people into the urban core that have never been here before," Bradenton Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione said.
Almost 3.8 million people visited Manatee County in 2023, generating more than $30 million in tourism tax dollars.
“It’s a signature event because it brings in the most people in one day in a year’s time," Falcione explained.
An estimated 100,000 people are expected to attend the event, which promises to deliver races, rain or shine.
“We’re going to be sold out again this year," said Robyn Price, director of sales for the group that manages the Courtyard Marriot on the Bradenton Riverwalk.
Each visitor who stays overnight in the area for the regatta spends an estimated about $157 a day, according to the visitor center's research.
For those visiting for the first time, research shows that 94% will return within 12 months.
“Year over year, we see more and more people coming, but we do see the repeat guests most definitely," Price said.
The hope is that bringing in new tourism money, along with redirecting of local dollars, will help with the current redevelopment of the current urban core.
“I’m excited to see where we’re at in 6, 6, 7 years of an urban core that is now vibrant and people want to visit and stay longer," Falcione said.
