The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce leads a wedding festival each year.  It is a one to two day event towards the end of February each year.  The event is filled with models showing off the latest trends of dresses, photographers, florists, catering, limo services, you name it.  There are several spots where vendors congregate to show off their services.  If there is a wedding in your midst why not schedule a vacation to find out the latest trends.  I would suggest staying in Holmes Beach where most of the festivities take place.  The hub of the wedding festival is at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce.  A great vacation rental less than two blocs away is 100 52nd street.  The vacation rental has a 2 bedroom side with private pool as well as a 3 bedroom with private pool.

In March and April there are several Friday Festivals in Anna Maria City.  Once again the Anna Maria Island Chamber leads the festival.  There is free music all night with plenty of food, drink and snacks to cover just about any dining

Holmes Beach Festival

 experience you are looking for.  In addition, there are street crafts available to grab some local gifts.  There are only a few good vacation rental spots to take advantage of the location of Friday fest and make it walk away from the festival.  The absolute closest vacation rental is 403 N Bay which is less than a block from the field in which Friday Fest is held.

In the middle of April is a new tradition which is the Holmes Beach Founders day festival.  It is a great event where the fields of Holmes Beach are converted to a large festival with free music, drink and food.  It is normally a two day event with plenty to celebrate.  Founders day normally has a number of contests.  One of which has been a skate boarding contest at the Holmes Beach skate park.  A few properties within a block to the Holmes Beach Founders day festival would be 303 61st Street.  It is a great four bedroom rental in Holmes Beach. 

The summer on Anna Maria Island has no shortage of festivals.  It’s tough to choose the best one but 4th of July is spectacular on Anna Maria.  There is a wonderful 4th of July parade with 50+ floats throwing candy, beads, toys, you name it.  Another must have for independence day are fireworks and Anna Maria Island has no shortage of fireworks.  The day before 4th of July there are fireworks in Bradenton Beach and 4th of July has fireworks in Anna Maria City.  The absolute best spot to stay is directly on the beach.  Without a doubt the best spot to be in for the 3rd of July is in Bradenton Beach right on the Gulf of Mexico in Gulf View condos.  The condo is literally right next door to where the firework festivities take place so it is a great spot.  To witness the 4th of July fireworks 12108 Gulf Drive is a fantastic Anna Maria City vacation rental that will put you right in the heat of the action.  For that matter any Gulf Front property is fantastic since there are so many owner fireworks on the beach it is a site to be seen regardless where you stay on the beach.

The next must attend event is Bayfest which is put on by the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce.  They are similar to Friday festivals and use the same field in Anna Maria City however instead of Friday Festivals the October festival is a two day event.  The first night is free music with plenty to eat and drink.  The second day is full of events like a car show, arts and crafts, vendors and plenty of live music to entertain the entire family.   Another great Anna Maria City vacation rental well within a walk is 313 Magnolia.  It has a wonderful tropical private pool and still just a few blocks to the beach.

Christmas Parade

Finally, the month of December creates a ton of holiday festivals in Holmes Beach and Anna Maria City.  There is an event just about every weekend for the month of December.  In Florida we overcome no snow by holding festivals so if you want to get in the mood for the holiday season there is no better way than visit the beach and get warmed up. 

I hope some of the local favorite events will assist in planning your vacation on Anna Maria Island.  As always if you have any questions regarding Anna Maria Island call the great folks at Island Real Estate who help thousands of people each year.

Anna Maria Island 2010 Wedding Festival

If you are a bride to be or think someone is about to pop the question soon then visiting the 2010 Anna Maria Island wedding festival is a must visit.  The wedding festival is on Sunday February 28th from 11AM to 6 PM.  It takes part all across Anna Maria Island.  There are many wedding stations that have several vendors at each location to help you plan your wedding.  Florists, limo services, venues, catering, clothing, you name it!

Registration is at the Anna Maria Island Chamber of commerce and if you pre-registered then it is $7 per person or at the door $10.  Just visit the Anna Maria Island Chamber of commerce for the exact address and if you are hungry visit the BeachHouse for a pre-event brunch.

There is over $10,000 in prizes that will be given away at the end of the event.  Fantastic prize baskets, weekend packages, lots of prizes that any bride to be would love to have.  For more information visit the Anna Maria wedding festival information website.