For thirty-seven years now, the St. Augustine Lions have been hosting the city’s favorite seafood festival. The St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival is a celebration of the culinary heritage of the area with vendors serving everything from bisque to poke, from fried shrimp to gumbo, from crab cakes to grilled octopus (and back again). Is anyone else’s mouth watering just thinking about it? Well if yours is, then we’re here to help you. Here’s a quick roundup of everything you need to know to make the most of your trip to the festival.
THE BASICS
The St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival will be held at Francis Field on March 16-18, 2018. Festival hours on Friday will be 3-9pm, Saturday will be 10am-9pm, Sunday will be 11am-5pm. Adult general admission is $5, but admission is free for children under 16 and active military.
THE FOOD
Clearly, at an event such as this one, the food is the most important part of the whole experience. You can definitely count on some amazing seafood and even a few options for the non-seafood-eating people that you had to drag along. To give you an idea of what to expect, here are just a few sample menus from vendors who will be attending.
Curbing Your Appetite Food Truck
Wild Alaskan Salmon – Crab Bisque – Fish & Chips – Crab Cakes – Salmon Poke – Smoked Fish Dip – Conch Ceviche – Steamer Clams – Craw Dads
Hammerheads Seafood
Grouper Bites – Captains Platter – Coconut Shrimp – Lobster Cakes – Seafood Jambalaya – Grilled Snapper – Grilled Mahi – Sautéed Scallops – Garlic Shrimp
Greek Flame
Grilled Octopus – Lobster Nachos – Seafood Sampler – Paella – Octopus Pita – Grilled Salmon – Admiral’s Platter – Greek Platter – Lamb Gyros – Greek Salad – Chicken Pita – Crab Cakes – Veggie Plate
Seafood Unlimited
Lobster Supreme – Seafood Medley – Captain’s Platter – Alligator Skewer – Crab Cakes – Colossal Shrimp Skewer – Soft Shell Crab – Snow Crab – Seafood Paella – Lobster Roll – Seafood Jambalaya – Lobster Mac N Cheese – Crawdad Platter – Grouper
Sea Daddy’s
Savannah Fried Shrimp – Crab Balls – Crab Cake Slider- Fried Oysters – Fried Fish – Corn Dogs
Gina’s Taste and Tell
Conch Salad – Paella – Lobster Corn Dog – Garlic Shrimp – Fried Fish – Fried Shrimp – Garlic Crabs – Seafood Platter – Jerk Chicken – Lobster Mac N Cheese – Peel N Eat Shrimp – Spinach Crawdad Pie
There are plenty more vendors and sample menus, so head over to the website here to check out the rest.
ENTERTAINMENT
Though the food always takes center stage at the festival, your entertainment while eating certainly won’t be sub-par. The festival will have two stages – the main stage and Spanish Landing – that will host musical acts and performers respectively.
Friday
The opening of the festival is Jazz Night! Hosted by emcee Jeff Bradley of Comedy Plus, the lineup will feature the Murray Middle School Jazz Ensemble, Catch the Groove, and Those Guys Jazz of Orlando on the Main Stage. Spanish Landing will have The Clown Adventure Show starting 5:30pm.
Saturday
Jeff Bradley of Comedy Plus keeps it going strong as emcee on Saturday. The music starts with John Dickie with Collapsible B then continues throughout the day with Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike, Kate Keys Band, Billy Buchanan, and Grapes of Roth. A variety of kids shows, meet and greets, and percussion will be held on Spanish Landing.
Sunday
Sunday will open with the Gaterbone Trio who will then be followed by Florida State Bluegrass and Lone Bert & Skinny Lizards. Spanish Landing will have kids shows, meet and greets, and percussion throughout the day.
The full schedule of entertainment can be found online here!
PARKING
If St. Augustine parking is the bane of your existence, then you’re in luck. On Saturday and Sunday, the festival will offer a free park & ride shuttle. Weekend shuttle pick up will be from two parking locations on the north side of the city, every twenty minutes. The locations will be the St. Johns County Health Department and the North San Marco Lot at 301 San Marco Avenue.
Other parking options:
- Parking Garage next to festival (but that fills up quickly). All day parking at the garage is $15.
- Street parking is free or metered at various street locations within a 10-minute walk
- Public Lots – paid parking within a 10-minute walk.
- Private Lots – paid parking within 10-minute walk.
- Parking for RV/Buses/Campers
- Next to the Festival in the Riberia Street lot. No camping allowed.
Don’t miss out on any of the fun! For more information about the St. Augustine Lions Seafood Festival, visit www.lionsfestival.com. Image via the festival website.
To find more events in St. Augustine, visit our online calendar of events!