Sometimes the best kept secrets are those right in front of you  In the case of Karen Corbin, executive director of the non-profit organization Realize Bradenton, that “secret” was the Bradenton Riverwalk. Located on the banks of the Manatee River, the 1.5 mile-long public green space between the Green and Desoto Bridges is more than just where downtown Bradenton ends. The Riverwalk, which includes a five-acre park, is a conduit for life in Bradenton—the space is home to a skate park, a day dock for boaters, a 400-seat amphitheater and more. “I’ve been at Realize Bradenton for five years now and I’ve come to understand that the Riverwalk is special,” says Corbin. “We are a place-making, place-branding organization and I did not feel that the Riverwalk was utilized enough. One of the reasons is that the public and the community don’t necessarily know everything that it could be.” Corbin’s desire to place the Riverwalk further into the spotlight was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Bradenton Art and Music Festival, or BAM! Fest. Held for the first time ever on April 5, 2025, BAM! Fest was a free-admission, one-day festival celebrating the diverse artistic community of the area, replete with live music, food vendors, pop-up performances, interactive art installations and more, all along one mile of the Riverwalk.

To understand all that BAM! Fest has to offer, it’s best to take a walk through the stretch of the Riverwalk that was transformed in 2025. Starting by the grassy area next to the fishing pier by Green bridge, was Great Big Art, a collection of tents with artists, artisans and musicians with large-scale interactive art opportunities for all ages. Continuing down the path was the Art Tower, where local artists created live paintings over the course of the festival. “We took four artists and attached six-foot canvases onto the tower, so that they could paint above the ground all day long,” says Corbin. “We also attached a long canvas onto the railing of the Riverwalk where we created a community mural, which turned out to be absolutely beautiful.”

Further down the Riverwalk is the Mosaic Amphitheater, where the festival is held the BAM! SLAM. “We had an assortment of local talent performing from dance groups to schools, there was even a magician. The amphitheater was filled with people all day long,” says Corbin. “As you continued your walk, you reached the Pavilion Party at the Rossi Park Pavilion—we had about five big bands performing there all day, there were community tents, food vendors and a lot of activities.” Finishing out the stretch was the Meandering Market, with all sorts of local vendors and artisans, and the surprise hit, Sand Castle Beach. Important to Corbin and the team at Realize Bradenton were one, the types of artists that were involved in BAM!Fest and two, making admission to the festival free. “When we decided the theme of each space, we sought out specific artists to fit each niche. We pay all of our artists and all of our musicians, but we still handpicked almost everybody that came,” says Corbin. 

While BAM!Fest 2026 is dedicated to bringing back the same great vibes, with local artists, musical acts and vendors. The festival will also feature new components. St. Pete’s Marine Exploration Center’s mobile aquarium is set to make an appearance as is Palmetto-based non-profit Oyster River Ecology. The mobile aquarium, equipped with interactive touch tanks, provides unique educational experiences for children to learn about critical conservation issues. With Oyster River Ecology, the non-profit will host a hands-on workshop on how to build ragpots, a low-cost solution for subtidal oyster reef restoration. “When the rag pots are created, the non-profit takes them out to different parts of the Manatee River and the Gulf for oysters to grow on,” says Corbin. “It’s an eco-friendly experience that merges artistic creativity with conservation.”

Returning is BAM!Fest’s dedication to showcasing local, innovative artists. One such artist is Bradenton native and commercial painter, Andrew Viera. Viera, who recently completed the murals at the new Mote Marine Aquarium and has seen his work populate various popular local restaurants, will be live painting a 60”w x 48”h horizontal painting. “I have an idea of what the painting will be,” says Viera. “A while ago I did a painting of Sarasota, with landmarks like the Ringling Bridge and Siesta Key Beach, all on the back of a loggerhead turtle. With this, I’m envisioning a manatee with Bradenton and Anna Maria Island on its back—restaurants like Skinny’s Place, Rod and Reel Pier, Anna Maria Oyster Bar and other elements that incorporate everything that this area has to offer.”