The Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association (FKCFA) invite locals and visitors to come and enjoy the freshest seafood caught, prepared and served by local fisherman and their families. The event is held at Bayview Park, located at Truman Avenue and Jose Marti Drive, on Saturday, January 18 from 11 am to 8 pm and Sunday January 19 from 11 am to 5 pm.

The savory seafood menu features fresh Fried Fish baskets or platters with slaw and black beans & rice, Fried clams basket, Grilled Spiny Lobster Platters, Sampler Platters with fish, stone crab, conch fritter, conch ceviche, key west pink shrimp and french fries, Stone Crab Claws with key lime mustard sauce, peel and eat Key West Pink Shrimp with cocktail sauce, Smoked Fish Dip with crackers, Creamy Lobster Bisque, Bahamian style Conch Chowder, Conch Ceviche, & Conch Fritters. Hot dogs and hamburgers also will be for sale. Beverages include beer, wine, rumaritas, rum runners, water, and soda. Desserts included Estella’s Famous Flan and Natilla, Key Lime Pie and other homemade treats.

Included with the two-day $5 admission to the 15th Annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival is a fantastic entertainment lineup with a diverse musical variety to suite everyone’s tastes. On Saturday, January 18, at 11 am, The Shanty Hounds will play a variety of trop rock original music and covers from many genres. At 1 pm, Coconut Victrola offers a nostalgic blend of Swing, Jump blues, rock n roll & New Orleans brass meets modern day songwriting. At 3 pm, nationally recognized multi-instrumentalist prodigy Myles Mancuso and his band entertain with their original style of music blending Roots Country, and R&B. And finally, the featured performance of ERASMITH Band, a World Class Aerosmith Tribute Band will perform music from the “Classic Era” and 40+ years of fan favorites. This look-alike, sound-alike talented group of musicians from the mainland will blow guests away with their authentic performance. Festival attendees are invited to walk this way on down to Bayview Park to enjoy an amazing lineup included in the $5 entry.

On Sunday, January 19 the Latin/American stylings of The 3Amigo’s kicks off the day at 11 am followed by The Happy Dog who will take on everything from Marley to the Dead at 1 pm. To finish out the festival, Fairweather Friends fronted by saltwater conch Ken Fairbrother, lead singer of the Stoned Crab Band out of Marathon is joined by bass player from the band, Mike Corvette to entertain with a mix of old fashioned rock and roll with an island vibe.

Again this year, top Key West area chefs and local fishermen will demonstrate recipes using fresh catch and sustainable ingredients, providing inspiration and guidance for how guests can cook with local seafood in their own homes. Scheduled for the top of each hour, seating is limited and first come for these free demonstrations and sampling.

Other activities include more than 75 vendors, marine display as well as hands on marine activities for the kids from NOAA Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Sea Camp, Reef Relief, the Aquarium and more along with free bounce houses.

Entry is $5 for both days and offers a chance to win a $250 seafood basket shipped straight to the winner’s home. This fundraiser supports sustainable fisheries management programs on both State and Federal levels and scholarships for college bound students from Key Largo to Key West. Kids under 12 are free.

Parking around the park is difficult. Ride a bike, take the bus, rideshare or a $5 donation per vehicle to the youth at the middle school will get you a parking space.

For more information visit http://www.floridakeysseafoodfestival.com and The Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association (FKCFA), an industry association working to provide a sustainable future for the many local fisheries within the Florida Keys at https://www.fkcfa.org/

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