Best Food Festival John’s Pass Seafood Festival Finalists: Dunedin Stone Crab Festival, Tampa Bay Vegfest Credit: Photo via Tony/Adobe

Hosted each year by the Madeira Beach Recreation Department, John Pass’ annual seafood festival turns the already-packed tourist area into a hotspot for live music, local vendors, and of course, freshly-caught gulf seafood.

In addition to a wide variety of vendors dishing out fish, shrimp, mussels, crabs and more, this three-day festival will also feature a stacked lineup of live music, family-friendly activities and local vendors slinging arts and crafts and other artisan goods. Both cover and original bands playing at the festival throughout the weekend include The Spazmatics, classic rockers The Fulcos, Firefly, Twisted Revolvers, Social Fabric and Alex Whalen.

Since parking may prove to be difficult, event organizers are providing free shuttle service to and from the seafood festival; head to @JohnsPassSeafoodFest on Facebook for more information.

There’s no cover to attend this year’s John’s Pass Seafood Festival, happening from Friday-Sunday, Jan. 19-21 at 12902 Village Blvd in Madeira Beach. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

This article appears in Jan 11-17, 2024.