46th Annual National Shrimp Festival

Posted by Rachel Kelly on Tuesday, September 19th, 2017 at 6:16pm.

The 46th Annual National Shrimp Festival is almost upon us! This four day festival is one of the Gulf Coast's biggest events attracting over 250,000 visitors each year, not to mention bringing in tremendous revenue for the area. The event is free to all visitors and will take place October 12-15 in the heart of Gulf Shores, known as Gulf Place, at the Beach Blvd & Hwy 59 intersection. Over 200 artist booths will be set up along the boardwalk showcasing an array of unique artwork and crafts. One of the event's main attractions is the Gulf Coast seafood, most notably shrimp, prepared into mouthwatering dishes. Take advantage of the free samples of seafood served up by festival sponsors and don't forget to treat yourself to a fest favorite, Cajun crawfish pistols.

Established in 1971, the National Shrimp Festival was created to bring back tourists after Labor Day and the concept became a huge success. Every year the festival gets larger offering family-friendly activities including the 5K & 10K Run, Children's Activity Village, Sand Sculpture Competition, Singing for Scholarships, and Youth for Art. A new addition this year is the First Annual Little Miss Shrimp Festival Pageant. Events taking place outside the festival include The 10th Annual Shrimp Festival Restaurant Challenge presented by the Gulf Coast Culinary Institute and the 24th Annual Golf Tournament held at Kiva Dunes Golf & Beach Resort. Entertainment will be endless with a large line-up of musical performances throughout the day and night. Headliners include The Tip Tops, Velcro Pygmies, Fly By Radio, Chee-Weez, Wes Loper Band, Wayne Toups, and many more.

This year's visitors will be welcomed by revamped grounds thanks to the Gulf Place Revitalization Project. Currently in Phase 2, this project was launched by the City of Gulf Shores to make Gulf Place a more pedestrian-friendly environment along with aesthetic improvements such as green spaces, beautiful landscaping, open-air shade structures, and an expansive beachfront boardwalk. The project also includes plans for an amphitheater, children's playground, and new public restroom facilities.

The National Shrimp Festival is held in the second week of October with hours running from 10:00AM to 10:00PM (Thursday- Saturday) and 10:00AM to 5:00PM on Sunday. Parking will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, however, B.R.AT. shuttle buses will be available to pick-up and drop-off visitors at designated areas. Please see the official Shrimp Festival site for maps and detailed information.

Many festival-goers plan in advance by renting condos or beach homes near the festival for extra convenience. Use our Gulf Shores aerial imagery to better visualize the proximity of condos & homes to the festival grounds and our websites offer detailed info for all Gulf Shores condos and it's distance from the Gulf Shores Hangout or Gulf Place;  also find info for all Orange Beach condos.  Mark your calendars and see why the National Shrimp Festival is loved by both locals and tourists!


Shrimp Festival Pictures

Overhead view of the Annual Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, AL at the Hangout / Gulf Place

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