Okay folks, grab a coffee because I just got back from the Port St Lucie Seafood Festival and I gotta tell you, it wasn’t just about stuffing my face with shrimp cocktails! Yeah, the food smelled amazing, obviously, but my crew went in with a plan to scope out the entertainment side of things, you know, what keeps folks hanging around besides the grub. And let me tell ya, it was an eye-opener.
First Thing: Beating the Crowd & Scouting
We decided to hit it early, like gates-open early. Figured parking would be a bear later, and yeah, we were dead right. Rolled in around 10:30 AM and snagged a spot that wasn’t halfway to Jupiter. Already saw folks setting up folding chairs near the main stage area – noted that for later! Goal was clear: map out the fun stuff happening away from the food tents.
Grabbed a quick cup of terrible coffee just to get moving, and then we started walking the entire grounds. I mean, we walked every lane. Didn’t just follow the smell of frying fish, nah. We looked around corners, behind vendor tents, everything.
What Popped Up: The Stuff You Might Miss
Here’s what caught our eye, stuff beyond the obvious food lines:
- Kid Zone Crazyness: Seriously tucked near the back, but booming. Big inflatable obstacle course thing? Kids were bouncing off the walls, literally. Face painting too, saw a little guy leaving with a lobster on his cheek. Had games like ring toss for stuffed fish prizes – cheesy but popular.
- Local Artist Alley Surprise: Wasn’t expecting much, just some crafts maybe. But nope! Found this whole section with local folks selling cool stuff: seashell art, driftwood sculptures, even a guy making shell wind chimes right there. Browsing this was way more relaxed than fighting for crab legs.
- Random Music Spots: Knew about the main stage – had a solid Jimmy Buffett cover band later on. But the real gems? Smaller acts peppered around. Like this acoustic duo playing under a tent near the shrimp shack, just vibing. Another spot had steel drums near the rum punch booth. Different music everywhere you turned!
- The Impromptu Stuff: You know what I mean? Just things that happen when folks are happy. Saw a bunch of people just spontaneously dancing near a stall playing oldies. A guy juggling limes outside the ceviche place just for tips. Even saw an artist doing live caricatures – took ages to get one, saw the line snaking.
The Big Lesson: Timing is Everything
We circled back to things we liked. Caught the end of a kids’ pirate-themed magic show at the Kid Zone – decent crowd control actually. Later snagged seats for the Buffett cover band. Best move? Seeing the acoustic duo when the main stage was loud, it was a nice quieter pocket.
The food lines? Nightmare later. But chilling with music or watching artists work? Time flew by. We actually spent less time eating and way more time just soaking up the atmosphere because we hunted for the entertainment. Left tired, maybe a little sunburnt, but buzzing, not just stuffed. Shows you gotta look beyond the plate sometimes!
