Tornado Watch Cancels De Soto Grand Parade: Historical Society

Updated: 8:43 p.m., Saturday

BRADENTON, FL — Saturday night’s De Soto Grand Parade has been canceled, organizers wrote in a Facebook post just before 8 p.m.

“The safety of both participants and spectators is of outmost importance. After consulting with emergency personnel, we have made the hard decision to cancel the 2023 De Soto Heritage Festival Grant Parade,” the Hernando De Soto Historical Society wrote.

Manatee, Sarasota and other West and Central Florida counties are currently in a tornado watch until 10 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Heavy thunderstorms are expected Saturday night into Sunday morning, AccuWeather said.

The parade was scheduled to start off Saturday, 7 p.m., at Manatee High School and march through Bradenton.

Around 4:30 p.m., organizers said the parade would be delayed about 45 minutes allowing a squall line to pass through the area.

With over 150 entries, the De Soto Grand Parade is one of the largest and oldest parades in the Southeastern United States, according to the historical society’s website.

More than 100,000 people line the streets of Bradenton during the event to view the illuminated floats and catch a glimpse of the new Hernando de Soto, Captain of the Crewe, and the newly crowned Queen and Princess. Beads, coins and other fun items are handed to the crowd throughout the night.