{"id":108499,"date":"2026-01-07T02:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T02:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/108499\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T02:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T02:28:09","slug":"seafood-and-live-music-kick-off-the-new-year-at-florida-festivals-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/108499\/","title":{"rendered":"Seafood and live music kick off the new year at Florida festivals | Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s nothing like starting the year off at a free event, especially when it involves seafood and live music.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout the year, Florida offers a jam-packed calendar of seafood festivals. Some are in big cities and metros, while others take place in small, quaint towns, and they can all be must-visit events for seafood lovers, families, and anyone who appreciates Florida\u2019s coastal culture.<\/p>\n<p>Read on to find out which ones will be active this month:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">January 10, 2026: Boca Raton Seafood Festival<\/p>\n<p>Sponsored by the city, this festival features Seafood Showdown with three Boca Raton chefs and a Crab Cake Challenge with 8 contestants. Seafood vendors and nautical-themed marketplace. Entertainment features Jutt Hoffman Band, Southern Blood, Leave It To Us, Nothing Wrong with Wet Socks.<\/p>\n<p>Admission: Tickets $10 in advance; $15 at the gate. (Children under 10 are free.)<\/p>\n<p>When: Saturday, 12 PM-6 PM.<\/p>\n<p>Where: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton, FL 33432<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">January 15-18, 2026. Fellsmere Frog Leg Festival<\/p>\n<p>Frog leg and gator tail dinners. Hundreds of booths for unique gifts. Hear some great music and enjoy fun rides.<\/p>\n<p>Admission: Free. Free parking and shuttle from Mesa Motocross Park, 100 Mesa Park Blvd.<\/p>\n<p>When: Thursday and Friday, 4 pm-11 pm; Saturday, 10 am-11 pm; Sunday, 11 am-6 pm.<\/p>\n<p>Where: 23 South Orange St, Fellsmere<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">January 16-18, 2026: Punta Gorda Crab and Music Festival<\/p>\n<p>Bring your furry friends to this pet-friendly festival in Punta Gorda. The event offers both delicious seafood and fun music for the whole family.<\/p>\n<p>Admission: Admission free. Pets are allowed. There is limited on-site parking for $15.<\/p>\n<p>When: Friday, 4pm-10pm; Saturday, 11am-10pm; Sunday, 11am-6pm.<\/p>\n<p>Where: Laishley Park, 120 Laishley Court, Punta Gorda.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">January 17, 2026: Apalachicola Oyster Cook Off, Apalachicola<\/p>\n<p>Continuing the annual tradition, Franklin County will be hosting their Oyster Cook Off on Saturday from 12-5pm. Starting that Friday, January 17, guests can also enjoy the 2-day agenda of events including a silent auction, live music, performances, and a 5K run. Proceeds from the events will go towards the Apalachicola Volunteer Fire Department.<\/p>\n<p>Admission: Free (for cook-off)<\/p>\n<p>When: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.<\/p>\n<p>Where: Riverfront Park, Apalachicola<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">January 23-25, 2026: Coquina Beach Seafood and Music Festival<\/p>\n<p>Enjoy live music throughout the weekend from an exciting mix of bands. Great food, great music, and great vibes at one of Florida\u2019s most scenic beachfront parks. Bring your beach chair, your appetite, and your dancing feet.<\/p>\n<p>Admission: Free<\/p>\n<p>When: Hours: Friday, 4 pm to 10 pm; Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm; Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm.<\/p>\n<p>Where: Coquina Beach, 2650 Gulf Drive South, Bradenton Beach, FL.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">January 24-25, 2026: Port St. Lucie Seafood Festival (formerly the Port Salerno Seafood Festival)<\/p>\n<p>Formerly known as the Port Salerno Seafood Festival, at this fan-favorite event \u201cthe Fish is Fresh, the Beer is Cold, and the Smiles are Always Warm.\u201d Live Music, Arts &amp; Crafts Vendors, a Kid\u2019s Fun Zone, Mermaids, Pirates.<\/p>\n<p>Admission: Admission is free; parking is free.<\/p>\n<p>When: Hours: 10-4 both days.<\/p>\n<p>Where: Mid-Florida Events Center, 9221 SE Event Center Pl. Port St. Lucie, FL.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">January 30-February 1, 2026: Fort Myers Seafood Festival<\/p>\n<p>Dishes are prepared using fresh, local and sustainable resources from Gulf waters. Beer, wine and mixed drinks available, and a variety of musical entertainment all weekend, featuring rock, blues, country rock, jazz, Caribbean and tribute bands.<\/p>\n<p>Admission: Free.<\/p>\n<p>When: Friday, 4-10 pm; Saturday, 11 am-10 pm; Sunday, 11 am-6 pm.<\/p>\n<p>Where: River District, 1400 Hendry St., Fort Myers, FL 33902.<\/p>\n<p>This list was originally compiled by <a href=\"http:\/\/Floridarambler.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Floridarambler.com<\/a> and is frequently updated on their site.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There\u2019s nothing like starting the year off at a free event, especially when it involves seafood and live&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":108500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[55568,3337,55564,55565,1099,28,575,897,55567,24499,3086,126,55563,123,55562,55566,171,173,172,55570,14484,3396,55569],"class_list":["post-108499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-apalachicola-volunteer-fire-department","tag-boca-raton","tag-bradenton-beach","tag-coquina-beach","tag-festival","tag-florida","tag-food","tag-fort-myers","tag-fort-myers-seafood-festival-dishes","tag-franklin-county","tag-free","tag-key-biscayne","tag-laishley-court","tag-miami","tag-mid-florida-events-center","tag-port-salerno-seafood-festival","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news","tag-port-st-lucie-seafood-festival","tag-punta-gorda","tag-seafood","tag-the-port-salerno-seafood-festival"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}