Pickin’ Picnic To Rock Bradenton’s Riverwalk on Memorial Day Weekend
Saturday, May 23 § 2-10 p.m. § Bradenton Riverwalk Pavilion
Realize Bradenton cooks up another inspired free event featuring, “battling” food trucks, craft brews, local vendors, and music by the region’s most exciting new musicians and groups.
(BRADENTON, FL) Realize Bradenton will rock Bradenton’s Riverwalk Memorial Day weekend with the fourth Pickin’ Picnic showcasing the region’s music scene. The festivities begin with the food truck battle at 2 p.m., and with live music starting at 3 p.m. The event is free and takes place at the Pavilion on Bradenton’s Riverwalk, 452 3rd Ave. W. in downtown Bradenton. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs and picnics, although food and beverages will be available to purchase. The event is sponsored, in part, by the Downtown Development Authority, the Bradenton Herald, McCabes Irish Pub, C&S Community Management Services, OneMain Financial, Hendrick Honda Bradenton, Suncoast Food Trucks, and Gold Coast Eagle Distribution. This year’s stage sponsor is Uncle Bob’s Self Storage. For more information, visit RealizeBradenton.com/events.
“Pickin’ Picnic began as the brainchild of Justin Labadie, a musician in the local band, Faceless Bandits, one of last year’s featured musical acts,” says Johnette Isham, executive director of Realize Bradenton, the organizing force behind Pickin’ Picnic. “It’s a wonderful example of how area artists, nonprofits, business owners and audiences partner to build community.”
The festivities get underway at 2 p.m., with a “Battle of the Food Trucks,” a cook-off incorporating a mystery ingredient with a panel of local celebrity judges rating the results at 2:45 p.m. Beer aficionados will have the opportunity to purchase handcrafted brews and chat with the brew masters from Darwin Brewing Company of Bradenton, Big Top Brewing Company of Sarasota, 3 Daughters Brewing of St. Petersburg, and Rochster Mills Beer Co. of Rochester, MI. Domestic beer, wine, soft drinks, and water will also be available for purchase. In addition, local vendors will be selling crafts and merchandise.
Food Trucks:
Ain’t No Thang
A hot, new mobile food truck that prides itself on using simple, healthy ingredients to create extraordinary flavors that nourish the body, mind and soul.
DaVinci’s Coffee & Gelato
A gourmet mobile food truck featuring homemade gelato, panini sandwiches, and handmade coffee drinks.
Chefs2U
They offer a variety of culinary experiences and the food is prepared fresh, on-site, in the truck by our culinary chefs
Suncoast Food Trucks
Experience a collection of artisan food trucks serving up delicious items for lunch and dinner with a side of outdoor atmosphere.
Yachtsea Grille (not a food truck)
A restaurant along the Bradenton Riverwalk offering simple and creative food with carefully selected ingredients.
Vendors:
Shower Beer
A collaboration of handmade crafts by a mother and son. Their products are created from recycled, up-cycled and organic materials.
Deppesh Clothing
Pronounced deh-pesh, Deppesh Clothing is more than just another clothing brand, and is focused around the surf and skate lifestyle.
Tony Corbitt Jr.
A self-taught local artist whose subjects are often places close to home, people he knows and even the fish he catches from his kayak.
City Fitness
A personal training studio, gym, fitness center, and health club rolled into one unique facility where knowledge and class are combined.
Jerk Dog Records
A small vinyl record shop focusing on the niche of garage/punk rock, but not to the exclusion of other good music.
Manatee County Animal Services
Provides an animal adoption program, picks up and shelters stray, sick and/or injured animals, issues rabies license/certificates, and investigates animal neglect.
Canned Ham Vintage
A traveling boutique housed in a ’63 Shasta camper, featuring women’s and men’s vintage clothing and accessories, as well as handmade goods made from recycled supplies.
And of course, there’s the music. This spring’s lineup includes:
- 3 p.m.: Chasing Jonah: Chasing Jonah puts forward an emotionally charged sound that combines haunting vocals and vulnerable lyrics, with moving orchestral and indie rock arrangements that produce a characteristic, cinematic sound.
- 4:15 p.m.: Hymn for Her: Injecting juiced-up backwoods country blues with a dose of desert rock psychedelia that has been described as “Hell’s Angels meets the Amish.”
- 5:30 p.m.: The Dram: With a blend of violin, keyboard, and distorted guitar, this Americana six-piece walks the line between southern rock and folk (with a healthy dose of punk).
- 6:45 p.m.: Lions After Dark: With influences rooted in many styles, the band draws from elements as diverse as the raw, brash nature of blues, the confrontational attitude of metal, and the anthemic character of musical theater, combining for a live experience that is tailor made to the moment.
- 8:30 p.m.: Have Gun, Will Travel: Has a natural instinct for combining folk, pop, rock and classic country influences to create a sound all their own. “Their music has a great energy to it with infectious, sing-along choruses and refrains” remarked NPR’s Robin Hilton. American Songwriter called HGWT’s music “organic, infectious Americana Pop. Their music has a refreshing immediacy to it.” Their music has been featured in a national Chevy TV commercial; multiple episodes of the PBS series Roadtrip Nation; a GTE Federal Credit Union TV and radio ad campaign; and an episode of CBS’s The Good Wife. Their albums have spent months on the CMJ Radio Top 200 chart and ranked as high as No. 3 on WMNF 88.5 Tampa’s list of most-played albums.
For more information about Pickin’ Picnic, visit RealizeBradenton.com/events.
About Realize Bradenton
Realize Bradenton is a non-profit organization that brings people together to create a vibrant and prosperous Bradenton area. For more information, visit www.RealizeBradenton.com.
