Mark your calendars. It is time to come on out to the cusp of the Everglades near Marco Island to experience a big and exciting event for the ages. It is the spectacle of the Seafood Festival in Everglades City.
Filled with fun things to do, Old Florida living, and, most importantly, buckets and buckets of seafood, this seafood event is something you have to see for yourself to believe. You can even take some back to the Marco Island vacation rentals and lay it all out buffet-style.
A Rundown of the Annual Seafood Festival in Everglades City
Out of all the Florida seafood festivals, this one might make the list of the top 3 seafood festivals in Florida. The event is free and attracts upwards of 50,000 people every year to Everglades City, with its normal population hovering around 400.
The main downtown area lights up with activities. Country music booms from a stage and carnival rides are set up along the street. Many local vendors come out to sell hand-crafted jewelry, home décor items, and other art.
The star attraction is, of course, the seafood – and there’s an absurd amount of it. Not only are there many local vendors, but there are restaurants offering seafood specials and discounts.
The event typically runs from Friday to Sunday over the second weekend in February. The 2018 event is scheduled for February 8th to February 10th, and begins at 5 p.m. on Friday evening and concludes Sunday evening around 4 p.m.
So why go to a seafood festival? For the seafood, of course! But you’ll also find carnival rides, fun family activities, excellent local crafts, and some hidden treasures hidden on the edge of the Everglades.
1. Stone Crab
Everglades City is the home of the stone crab. As the gateway to Ten Thousand Islands, Everglades City sits along a dense network of waterways. There are many stone crabs in the waters of the gulf outside the city. There’s even a fleet of boats dedicated solely towards collecting stone crab.
The city is open for the season and the stone crabs are in! Want to know what to eat at a seafood festival? This is it. The community loves their real-deal stone crab, and you can get some for yourself. It’s the top treasure for what makes a seafood festival so special, and this one has all the stone crab you could dream of.
2. A Variety of Authentic Old Florida Music
What better place to enjoy down-home bluegrass and country than in the thick of Old Florida? Everglades City knows how to do music, especially the fun, frenetic, and silly kind. There’s almost always some fun bluegrass covers of rock classics as well as some awesome original performances of songs you have most certainly never heard before. Female artists, big groups, and more are all part of the rotating list of fantastic Florida musicians.
3. Jumbo Shrimp Skewers
Get them coconut or get them grilled – we just love to gloat about the downright epic shrimp skewers all over the Seafood Festival in Everglades City. These shrimp skewers are another edible treasure of an Everglades City Seafood Festival.
Feeling adventurous? You can even switch the shrimp skewers out for some gator skewers if you really want to go full Old Florida.
The event is expected to feature about 100 different vendors in a variety of categories. Now is the time to see what Marco Island has to offer. Take a look at our top-tier Marco Island vacation home rentals and find the most suitable match for you. Stay for a long weekend or week. With some of our Marco Island vacation home rentals, you can even extend your journey for the month.
Everglades City makes for a wonderful day trip, but you can always come back to the gorgeous shores of Marco Island for some relaxation and respite.