The popular Texas Crab Festival on Bolivar Peninsula has been synonymous with Mother’s Day weekend since 1985 and the 40th annual event will continue to provide plenty of music, arts and, of course, crabs.
Named one of the “10 Best Food Festivals to Dive Into” by USA Today, the crustacean celebration is at Swedes Park (1605 Highway 87) in Crystal Beach on May 9-11.
You’ll find numerous food concessions offering a variety of fresh seafood and festival favorites such as funnel cakes and literally anything on a stick. Sink your teeth into crabby creations from barbeque crabs, crab cakes, stuffed crab and more.
Browse more than 100 vendors featuring coastal art & crafts, apparel, jewelry, fishing gear and gifts. Visit with the many local organizations and businesses representing the vibrant coastal community. This year’s festival hosts the highly contested crab gumbo cookoff and crab races, Texas 2-step dance contest, 5K Run, Wiener Dog Races, washer tournament, kids zone, and a full schedule of music and entertainment designed with the whole family in mind. It’s an experience so deliciously unique that it was featured on the Food Network’s “Eating America with Anthony Anderson” and “Carnival Eats” on the Cooking Channel.
Festival hours are 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $15 on Friday and Saturday, and free on Sunday. Kids 15 and under are always free, as is festival parking. A weekend pass is available for $25 and can be purchased online at texascrabfestival.org.
For those wanting to jumpstart their Saturday morning, the 5K run will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the grounds of historic and picturesque grounds of Fort Travis Seashore Park (900 Highway 87) near the Port Bolivar Ferry landing. Registration is available at texascrabfestival.org.
The music kicks off on Friday at 6:30 p.m. with 3 Way Switch followed by Big Jordan Band at 9 p.m. It’s a slate of music all day on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. with The Girl Band, Coastline, Caleb & April, Kings of Southern Rock, Josh Weathers and Cajun sensation Wayne Toups at 9 p.m.
All proceeds benefit Texas Crab Festival Charities, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to increase educational and career opportunities for Bolivar Peninsula residents of all ages and to support local organizations that further the goal of improving the lives of the residents of Bolivar Peninsula.
The festival creates awareness of what our Gulf Coast community has to offer in terms of tourism, food and entertainment opportunities, encourages peninsula involvement, supports youth development, scholarships, and unites the community of Bolivar Peninsula in a spirit of pride.
For detailed information and schedule updates, view texascrabfestival.org.