Two of downtown Bradenton's longest-running Saturday traditions sit at opposite ends of 12th Street West this weekend, and their hours overlap. The Bradenton Public Market sets up on Old Main Street from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The 22nd annual Festival of the Skeletons opens its daytime session in the Village of the Arts at 11 a.m. and runs until 4 p.m. From 11 to 2 on Saturday, Nov. 7, both are running, and the street that connects them is the one Old Main Street sits on.
The festival is free, and it starts the night before. Friday, Nov. 6 runs from 6 to 9 p.m., and the Friday and Saturday sessions differ more than most festival weekends do.
The festival runs on the Art Walk's schedule
The Village of the Arts holds themed Art Walks on the first Friday and Saturday of every month, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Village of the Arts calls the first full weekend of each month the best time to visit. November's first Friday and Saturday fall on Nov. 6 and 7, so the festival lands on the Village's regular Art Walk weekend. Saturday's festival hours, 11 to 4, are the same as the Art Walk's.
The festival's main event happens inside the galleries. According to the organizer's event page, galleries display shrines and altars inside their rooms, alongside a Community Shrine and Memory Wall where anyone can honor their own loved ones. The Village promotes the event as its biggest community event of the year.
Two galleries in the Village directory list Friday and Saturday hours of 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
- Joan Peters Art Gallery, 1210 11th Ave. W, which also takes appointments
- The Village Art House Collective, 1211 12th Ave. W, a short walk from the festival's listed address at 1227 12th Ave. W
Both line up with the festival's Saturday window, and the altars inside them are why the daylight session is worth a slower pace.
Three hours when both ends of 12th Street are running
Old Main Street is 12th Street West between Manatee Avenue West and 3rd Avenue West. The Village sits south of historic Main Street, farther down 12th Street across Manatee Avenue, as Bradenton Magazine describes it. The City of Bradenton puts the Village between 9th and 14th Streets West and 9th and 17th Avenues West, a short walk from downtown.
Here is how Saturday stacks up along that corridor:
| Time, Sat. Nov. 7 | Old Main Street | Village of the Arts |
|---|---|---|
| 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. | Public Market open | Festival not yet open |
| 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | Public Market open | Festival and Art Walk open |
| 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. | Market closed | Festival and Art Walk open |
The middle row is the only time both are running. An early start on Old Main leaves you two hours of market before the Village opens. A late start means the market is packed up before you get there.
The market has been a community gathering since 1979, according to Realize Bradenton, and its 2026–27 season runs Saturdays, October through May. The Nov. 7 event listing on Marketspread shows 93 vendors, including Crust n' Crumb, Sunshine Canning and King Of All Guacamole's. Muffins and canned goods carry home easily. Plan to eat the guacamole before you start walking south.
Friday is the after-dark session
The festival's own description sets the two days apart. Friday evening brings live music, food vendors and activity after dark. Saturday is the daytime session in the same Village, with the same altars. The Discover Bradenton festival guide puts it more plainly. Friday is when live music and food vendors light up the Village, and Saturday gives you daylight for the gallery altars and the art.
Friday also ends earlier this year. The evening session closes at 9 p.m., half an hour before 2025's 9:30 close. That leaves three hours on Friday night. If you're coming from work and want food trucks with music, Friday is the better fit. If you want to stand in front of the altars and read what people wrote, Saturday is.
Both days have food trucks parked throughout the Village with musicians strolling between them, plus pop-up vendors selling one-of-a-kind art. The first 300 guests get free festival goodies. On Saturday that favors people who walk down from Old Main when the Village opens at 11.
A new face at the main shrine
Each year the Community Village Shrine honors someone different. In 2025 it honored the people who built the Village, led by its founding father, Herbie Rose. For 2026 it celebrates Frida Kahlo, whom the organizers describe as one of Mexico's most celebrated artists. Organizers invite everyone to come in their favorite Día de los Muertos attire. Discover Bradenton suggests Frida's flower crowns and bold color as a theme for the day.
The Memory Wall is open to the public. In 2025, people left notes, photos and keepsakes there for those they had lost, according to Discover Bradenton. The guide also describes gallery shrines dedicated to family, friends and even pets. If there's someone you want to remember, bring a photo or a written note with you. The Market will be selling produce and baked goods, not anything to leave on a wall.
Working the route
Parking decides how the day goes, and both ends of 12th Street have free options.
- Park once downtown. The City Centre Parking Facility on 3rd Avenue West, between 10th and 12th Streets, is free until further notice, according to the City of Bradenton. That puts you at the north end of Old Main.
- Shop the market from 9 or 10. Get your shopping done before 11, so you're free to walk south when the festival opens.
- Head south on 12th Street. Cross Manatee Avenue and keep going toward the Village. If you'd rather ride, Freebee offers free on-demand rides covering both downtown and the Village. Its Bradenton-Palmetto service page lists Saturday hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Requests must come in 30 minutes before closing. Check the app on the day, since hours can change.
- Or park in the Village itself. Free street parking runs throughout the Village, with additional parking on the empty lot at 13th Avenue and 12th Street. On Friday night, this is the shorter option, since the market isn't running.
The Village directory lists a few places to stop between altars:
- Adobe Kava, 1302 13th Ave. W, around the corner from the overflow lot
- Wilder's Pizza, 827 14th St. W, on the Village's western edge
- Flamingo Bay Brewing Co., 1910 14th St. W, farther south on 14th Street
Ortygia, also in the directory, runs as a supper club and private-event space by appointment only. It isn't a walk-in stop on festival day.
The festival is free, and you only pay for food and anything you buy from vendors. A full Saturday costs whatever you spend at the market and the food trucks, plus nothing for parking.
Downtown Bradenton and the Village of the Arts are a big part of why I enjoy working this side of the bay, and a weekend like this one shows how the two connect along 12th Street. If you're thinking about a move to this part of Bradenton, or want to talk about the blocks between Old Main and the Village, reach out to Keith Curcio. Let's connect.
