The 41st Annual Destin Seafood Festival

Post by Seaoats Motel

The beautiful Emerald Coast and the stunning white sand beaches on which the charming Sea Oats Motel resides.

The original beachfront getaway on the Florida Panhandle, are made all the better by the gorgeous, crystal clear skies, mild temperatures and low humidity of Fall, and not to mention, the uncrowded attractions and low, off season rates.

Around our coastal paradise, there’s always so much to do, no matter the time of year, that it’s hard to fit everything into one vacation. However, there are a few seasonal events that the Sea Oats Motel, in sunny Destin Florida, consider to be extra special and certainly worth marking your calendar for!

One of our most favorite Fall events is the annual Destin Seafood Festival and Fishing Rodeo! Guaranteed to be an authentic taste of Northwest Florida cuisine, culture and lifestyle, this favorite, local event runs just as it did in its first year – 1979 – with whole hearted, community involvement, which is what makes the Destin Seafood Festival the great success it is.

In 1979, the first festival was a 1-day event produced by a small group of local women for the benefit of the small village’s fishing industry. The local husbands were in the business of fishing, and they wanted to encourage more people to visit the docks, take in the Fishing Rodeo, and become interested in fishing. The whole town turned out to help and have fun, in the process, history was made.

The first festival took place on what was then called “Kelly Hill,” which is now the Destin Harborwalk Village, and they had about 50 arts & crafts booths, a few food booths, and some activities for kids, with a flatbed for a stage, where locals provided free entertainment.

That was then, and now the Festival has grown to be one of the highlighted events every year during the fall along the Emerald Coast.

This year, the 40th Annual Destin Seafood Festival is going to set up along the length of Destin harbor from Harborwalk Village to the Boathouse Oyster Bar. Including the original landmark grounds, as well as now extending to include Olin Marler Charter Boat Service, A.J.’s Seafood & Oyster Bar, Galati Yacht Sales, Dewey Destin’s, the City of Destin Royal Melvin Heritage Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, and East Pass Marina on October October 4-6, 2019.

The location puts the festival right in the heart of the action along the harbor and the Destin Fishing Rodeo, which takes place the entire month of October. More than 30,000 locals and visitors attended the 2011 festival to enjoy live music, delicious seafood, and more.

So come check out all the fun, including headliner country music stars performing live on stage every night, fishing tournament, local arts, handmade crafts and jewelry, and tons of fresh seafood prepared by some of our area’s most accomplished chefs. There is sure to be something for every member of your family!

Fall along the Emerald Coast is a beautiful, magical time of year to visit the breathtaking white sand beaches of Destin, Florida and the surrounding areas.

With day after day of gorgeous blue skies, lovely, cool temperatures and low humidity, not to mention the fact that the off season means endless stretches of uncrowded, pristine coastline for your family to enjoy practically all to yourselves and discounted rates, autumn on the pristine northern gulf coast is the best kind of treat, without the trick.

Even though our water temperatures stay fairly warm for quite some time, should you visit and decide that swimming is not for you, rest assured, there are a ton of fun activities the whole family will enjoy still left to do!