What’s better than seafood, live entertainment, and beautiful spring weather at the Panacea Blue Crab Festival? The festival has now been going strong for 42 years, and the 2016 Blue Crab Festival will be held on May 7 on the Woolley Park waterfront at Dickerson Bay.
Admission to Woolley Park is only $3.00 per person, and children under 12 are admitted for free, which means you’ll have access to an entire day full of live entertainment, exciting events and competitions, and unique offerings from a variety of different vendors.
Coastal Optimist Club Parade
Each year, the Panacea Blue Crab Festival kicks off in style with the Coastal Optimist Club Parade. The members of the Coastal Optimist Club are dedicated to improving the lives of those in the community through volunteer efforts, and each year they organize an incredible parade that opens the crab-centric festivities for eager attendees.
The parade begins at 10:00 AM and travels across US Highway 98 until it reaches Woolley Park. If you’re interested in riding on a float in the parade, you can fill out an application available on the Blue Crab Festival website. Or, you can grab a seat and enjoy the sights and sounds of this special parade while you prepare yourself for a day full of crabby fun!
Oh Yes, and the Crabs!
After the parade has concluded, your appetite will surely have been whetted for some delicious blue crab cooked up by experts. The Panacea Blue Crab Festival never fails to impress! You’ll have the opportunity to satisfy your seafood craving thanks to vendors who will be offering delicacies such as boiled crabs and fried shrimp all day long.
One of the cornerstone events of the festival every year is the thrilling Crab Pickin’ Contest. In this traditional competition, eager crab enthusiasts try to see how quickly they can pick the most crab meat out of the shells, and the winner is awarded a special prize.
So whether you want to test your skills against the best pickers in the area, or you just want to snack on some delicious crab, the Panacea Blue Crab Festival won’t disappoint.
Hours of live entertainment for all ages
The crabs may get all the attention, but there’s all kinds of fun and entertainment that will be going on at the 42nd Annual Blue Crab Festival. One of the favorite events is the Mullet Toss competition, where contestants discover who can throw an actual mullet the longest distance.
There will be a spectacular slate of live music and performers throughout the day, including a demonstration of traditional Appalachian clogging with an opportunity to try it out for yourself.
Finally, you can find the perfect gift for a loved one, or just take home a souvenir for yourself courtesy of the dozens of arts and crafts vendors who will be on hand to showcase their work. And you get to experience everything while spending a day on the beautiful waterfront of Panacea!
We hope to see you there! If you are planning a trip to the area for the festival, we hope you’ll stay and make a vacation out of it! You can get all the details on other things to do as well as places to stay right here on VisitWakulla.com
