GRANT SEAFOOD FESTIVAL

The Grant Seafood Festival is held each year in Grant, a small town on the western shore of the Indian River Lagoon south of Melbourne and Palm Bay.  It is on U.S. Highway 1.

The 2023 event is March 4 and 5, Saturday and Sunday and is the 56th annual event.

Grant is usually a very quiet place except for the first weekend in March or last weekend in February.

That early spring weekend is reserved for the Grant Seafood Festival, which has been delighting visitors each year since it first kicked off many years ago.

It was originally organized by locals led by Margaret and Ronnie Senne, and - unlike most Florida events - the festival to this day is still run exclusively by volunteers.

Most of the seafood is prepared good old fashioned Southern style. This means that many of the offerings are fried and coated with great tasting batter.

It makes sense to go on a diet for a few days before attending this event.

The focus of this festival is to showcase the seafood from the area.  Grant is a fishing village first and foremost.

You can get complete seafood dinners including fish, hushpuppies, cole slaw and baked beans.

There are also dozens of seafood booths set up that sell steamed clams, fried shrimp, tuna and shrimp kabobs, linguini with clam sauce, Manhattan clam chowder, New England clam chowder.

Deviled crabs, fried scallops, fried oysters, raw and steamed oysters, conch fritters, fried clam strips, calamari and lobster bisque.

For the landlubber, they have hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and French fries.

Plenty of beer and soft drinks are always available, and many local crafters have displays set up to sell their wares.

The weekend includes lots of music and good family entertainment and is one of the most worthwhile Florida events you can attend.