With the sun shining and temperatures in the low 90s, it was a “chamber of commerce” kind of weekend for the 47th annual Destin Seafood Festival along Destin harbor.
“The turnout was fantastic this year. Our numbers were up Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” said event director Cali Hlvac as she walked around the festival on Sunday.
“It was one of the better turnouts,” Hlvac, noting about 50,000 or more came through over the three-day weekend.
The festival was set up along the harbor front, stretching from HarborWalk Village to Heron Harbor. Nearly 100 vendors displaying everything from arts and crafts, hot sauces, jewelry, paintings, wood carvings, hats, T-shirts, clothing, lemonade, and seafood of every kind were available.
“It’s been a blessing,” said Capt. Jim Green, president of the Destin Charter Boat Association.
The seafood festival is the primary fundraiser for the DCBA.
There was a bit of rain early on Friday, but once it cleared out, there was a steady flow of people at the festival.
“We had a crowd on Friday,” Green said. He explained that sometimes the festival falls on a school’s homecoming or something, but it did not this year.
“Once the rain cleared out, and the prettier it got, the people showed up,” Green said.
Saturday, however, was the biggest day.
“Saturday was very steady, really busy all the way through close,” Green said.
“Even when the vendors were shutting down, half the traffic was still here. Vendors were trying to sell things while they were shutting down,” he said.
On Sunday, under the VIP tent, TikTok celebrity StaleKracker, took the stage and people were lined up to see him.
“It’s been really cool,” Green said.
“Overall, the feedback from vendors and patrons has been good … even a lot of locals have said how great it’s been,” Green said.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: High temps and high numbers for the 47th annual Destin Seafood Festival
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
