Crab Festivals

Mendocino Crab and Wine Days - Mendocino
Held in January date TBA

With its scenic oceanfront and quaint downtown, Mendocino County plays host to the annual "Wine and Crab Days". Cooking demonstrations and wine- and appetizer-tasting are combined with the popular Crab Cake Cook-off and Best Mendocino Crab Wine Competition. As part of the special events, charter boats will take crab lovers on cruises to learn about crabbing, or to do some serious all-day fishing and crabbing. This is a celebration of the region's crab and wine industries where lots of food and fun is the catch of the day. Participating restaurants offer daily crab specials and host winemaker dinners are featured throughout the festival.
Information: www.goMendo.com or 866-goMendo (866) 466-3636

Florida

Blue Crab Festival - Panacea
First weekend in May.

For over thirty years, the Annual Panacea Blue Crab Festival is one of the largest such festivals on Florida's northern Gulf Coast. The festivities begin with a morning parade on the Coastal Highway 98. Demonstrations and contests are held, including crab picking, crab trap pulling and a mullet toss, with one of the largest fireworks display in the region for a concluding event.
Information: info@bluecrabfest.com or call (850) 984-CRAB (2722)

Blue Crab Festival - Palatka
Always Memorial Day weekend.

Who would have thought that a little crustacean could cause all this hoopla? With crabs boiling, music bopping and libations flowing, Palatka's Blue Crab Festival has established itself as a bona fide North Florida phenomenon. Some 100,000 visitors celebrate this 4-day festival on the riverfront, which features arts and crafts, rides, entertainment and lots of food.
Information: www.bluecrabfestival.com or call (386) 325-4406

Annual Stone Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival - Longboat Key
October 30 to November 2.

For each of the past fifteen years, The Colony on Longboat Key has celebrated the beginning of stone crab season by inviting this nation's leading chefs and vintners to join its guests for a long weekend of fabulous food and wine in a beautiful setting at the edge of the water, blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Information: (941) 383-6464, Ext. 2854

Louisiana

Bayou Lacombe Crab Festival - Lacombe
Last week in June.

A scenic one-hour drive from New Orleans, the Bayou Lacombe Crab Festival takes place at John Davis Park, a pretty setting canopied by huge live oak trees. Each year, about 2,000 blue crabs, Louisiana's most prominent crab type, are boiled at the Festival. At one end of the park are carnival rides, and at the other end, some 50+ craft booths are set up. There are also activities for the kiddies and live music throughout the weekend.
Information: www.lacombecrabfestival.com or call (985) 892-0520 or (800) 634-9443

Maryland

National Hard Crab Derby & Fair - Crisfield
Always Labor Day weekend.

Three days of exciting events including the famous Crab Derby itself. Crabs from as far away as Hawaii have competed in the run for the Governor's Cup. Colorful parades, beauty pageants, boat races, arts and crafts exhibits, crab picking contest, swim meet, a carnival, games and lots of great food contribute to this event.
Information: www.crisfieldchamber.com or call Crisfield Area Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 292, Crisfield, MD 21817 (800) 782-3913

Crab Days at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum - St. Michaels
Last weekend in July - Saturday & Sunday - 10am - 5 pm

Celebrate the Maryland blue crab! Enjoy live music, boat rides and cooking demonstrations. Indulge in steamed crabs, crab cake, crab soup and more. Crab Days has a double focus - food and (educational) fun. Crabbing demonstrations will include trot lining, chicken necking, crab pot making and, for newcomers to the Chesapeake Bay area, crab picking. Try your hand at these tasks. A special Kids town area provides plenty of activities for children including the crab toss, the touch tank, face painting, a scavenger hunt and the ever-popular crab races.

Oregon

The Astoria-Warrenton Crab & Seafood Festival
Last full weekend in April.

With a crab fest, Oregon wines and food and crafts booths, this is one of the top festivals in Oregon, held at the Clatsop County Fairgrounds. It is open to all ages with entertainment for all including a petting zoo and crab races. Together with crab, seafood and a wide assortment of foods, one can sample wine from 36 Oregon wineries. Held at Hammond Mooring Basin on the Columbia River, festivities include arts and crafts vendors, children's activities and continuous live music.
Information: Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce at (800) 875-6807 or (503) 325-6311 or www.oldoregon.com

Cruzin' for Crab, Crab Festival & Chowder Tasting - Waldport

Enjoy Dungeness crab dinners, chowder tasting, and fun for all ages. Catch your own crab off the dock, or rent a boat for the day. Tour the specialty cars on display. Stop by the beer garden. Dance to the music; wander through craft and display booths.
Information: (541) 563-5200

South Carolina

Annual Little River Blue Crab Festival - Little River
May 15-16.

Held on the Waterfront in historic Little River, the Blue Crab Festival is Little River's main claim to fame, and the little village does not hold back. The Blue Crab Festival is a combination of arts, crafts and, of course, food - namely crab. After eating, you can dance the day away with live entertainment ranging from jazz to bluegrass to gospel.
Information: (843) 385-3180 or info@bluecrabfestival.org

Washington

Dungeness Crab and Seafood Festival - Port Angeles
Second weekend in October

The Dungeness Crab & Seafood Festival celebrates the foods and traditions of the Olympic Peninsula with its primary focus on the world-famous Dungeness crab and the communities that are sustained by the natural environment of the Olympic Peninsula. The Festival occurs annually during the second weekend of October, coinciding with the beginning of crab season. Festival activities take place in downtown Port Angeles on the city pier.
Information: Denise Price (360) 457-6110 or info@crabfestival.org

Westport Crab Festival
Third weekend in April.