Calendar of Events

***As you make plans to attend this event during these confirmed 2019 dates, we will update this section with more details as soon as we learn of them. Meanwhile, last year's details are included below for you.***

The 47^th Annual National Shrimp Festival will open at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. Questions related to the festival should be addressed to the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber office at 251-968-6904 or by going to www.myshrimpfest.com.

Savor fresh from the Gulf seafood at the 47th Annual National Shrimp Festival during this four-day event from October 11 - 14 that attracts over 300,000 people. This year the festival will play host to more than 100 hours of musical entertainment featuring a lineup of national, regional and local acts. There will be musical acts to please all palates, including blues, Motown, southern rock, jazz, zydeco and country. The music plays daily Thursday through Sunday. Click here to discover this year's music line up.

Food is another highlight of the festival with 50 local and regional vendors lining the boardwalk at the public beach with mouth-watering delights. Due to the generous sponsors Organized Seafood Association of Alabama, Alabama Seafood Marketing Commission and Wind Creek Casino, 10,000 pounds of shrimp per day will be prepared by some of the area's best chefs in their award-winning recipes and given away for people to sample at different tasting times that will be posted on the outside of the sponsor tent.

Activities this year include Outdoor World and Singing for Scholarships. Outdoor World will feature fishing, boating, hunting and other outdoor vendors and activities. Singing for Scholarships will be a competition where high school singers from seven local schools will compete in elimination rounds to find out who will receive scholarships. Scholarships will be awarded to the top three contestants.

Families can enter the Annual Sand Sculpture Contest on Saturday. Kids can take part in a myriad of activities in the newly relocated Children's Activity Village, including face-painting, karaoke and much more.

Runners and walkers can enter the 10K and 5K races to help work off some of the great food at the festival. All net proceeds of the Run will be donated to Coastal Baldwin Education Enrichment, benefiting the local Gulf Shores and Orange Beach public schools.

Art lovers will have almost 200 booths of fine art and arts and crafts vendors from which to choose. Car lovers will have a chance to preview many of the new Chevrolet models that will be on display.

To learn more about road closures associated with the festival, view this update or map.

Take a tour by candlelight through the brick tunnels of this massive structure and hear the stories of visitors from the past. Historical interpreters dressed in period clothing will be throughout the fort portraying the life of someone who once lived at Fort Morgan.    

Tours will be guided through uneven surfaces in dark areas and visitors may encounter wildlife. This tour is recommended for ages 13 and over. Tickets will be sold in advance. Check our Facebook page Fort Morgan State Historic Site, website www.fort-morgan.org, or call 251-540-7202 for more information.

*As you make plans to attend this event during these confirmed 2019 dates, we will update this section with more details as soon as we learn of them. Meanwhile, last year's details are included below for you.*

The Elberta Sausage Festival makes its semiannual return to that South Baldwin hamlet. Held in Elberta Town Park, just north of the town’s only stop light on Hwy. 98, the event attracts up to 20,000 revelers, according to organizers. A 40-year tradition, the festival is a major regional event that attracts a cross section of the community in what has become a reunion type atmosphere. It is also the main revenue source for the area’s volunteer fire department.

Festival fans can enjoy Elberta's famous German sausage and sauerkraut, plus continuous entertainment
for adults and children, and 250 arts & crafts booths. There will also be carnival rides and a full scale Midway. Of course, there will also be a Bier Garten featuring a large selection of imported and domestic beers.

Other scrumptious foods will include German style filled cabbage, potato salad, goulash, red beans and rice, hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, ice cream, popcorn, peanuts and homemade baked goods.
The Bellview Stumpfiddle Band will perform with the North End Stompers and other cloggers. There will also be polka, country and German music.

Spearheaded by Elberta's Volunteer Fire Department since 1978, festival proceeds are used for improving not only the fire department, but the town as well. Additionally, local non-profits benefit from the festival through proceeds from their booth sales and parking lot fees. The festival is held twice a year - on the last Saturday of March and the last Saturday of October. Although it has been tweaked a bit over the years, the original secret recipe for Elberta's famous sausage is credited to Alfred Stucki, who managed Elberta's Locker Plant from 1953 until his death in 1973. About 7,000 pounds of German Sausage are consumed at each fest.

***We anticipate this event occurring around these estimated dates. Once we learn the confirmed dates, we will update this page. Meanwhile, read about last year's event details below.***

The Coastal Alabama Business Chamber's 33rd Annual Christmas Lighted Boat Parade will take place on Saturday, December 8.

The Coastal Alabama Chamber of Commerce lighted boat parade takes off at about 5:30pm from LuLu’s at Homeport Marina and finishes at Flora-Bama. More than 45 decorated vessels, including sailboats, charters and even a kayak or two, make this boat parade one of the largest in the Southeast. There are great viewing sites all along the Intracoastal Waterway, but for groups the best spot is The Wharf at Orange Beach, adjacent to the convention center.

To sign up to participate call the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber at 251-968-6091. Additional information on the parade route, viewing stations and registration is at http://www.mygulfcoastchamber.com.

The parade begins on Perdido Beach Boulevard at 6:30 p.m. at the traffic signal just east of Phoenix West and it will end at intersection at Highway 161 and Perdido Beach Boulevard. For more information, visit www.mirams.info.

According to the written history of the Mystics of Pleasure, "while overlooking the Marina on Cotton Bayou and watching the sun set on a glorious April evening, a group of men planned what was to become ... Pleasure Island's very first nighttime Mardi Gras parading society."
By Carnival of 2001, the Mystics of Pleasure held its first ball and Mardi Gras parade in Orange Beach. Unlike parading groups to the west, marshals with the Mystics of Pleasure ride Harley-Davidsons, not horses.
The group also sponsored the Thunder Run boating event every year.

The City of Gulf Shores will celebrate the 41st Anniversary of the Mardi Gras Parade on Tuesday, March 5 at 10am. The City of Gulf Shores is excited to continue its expanded role as lead organizers for the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Parade. This history of the Gulf Shores Mardi Gras parade dates back to 1978 when a group of locals decided Gulf Shores needed a parade. Those locals formed the Pleasure Island Players and thus Mardi Gras began in Gulf Shores. A year later the Mystic Order of Shiners joined the Pleasure Island Players to become what is now the oldest parading order in Baldwin County.

Future Mardi Gras Dates:

2021 - February 16
2022 - March 1
2023 - February 21
2024 - February 13
2025 - March 4

The Orange Beach Parade started way back when as a loose confederation of groups, large and small, that wanted to parade by the beach.

About 10 years ago, the city of Orange Beach stepped in and took over the planning of the parade. It's still open to participation by just about anybody, even groups from outside of Orange Beach.

The Mystical Maids of Miram and the Mystics of Pleasure contribute to the parade, but so do groups from Foley to Perdido Key. Even groups that parade in Gulf Shores earlier in the day move up the road to be in the Orange Beach procession.

Typically, these days, there's about 55 units in the Fat Tuesday afternoon parade, and about 30,000 people gather along the two-mile stretch of Perdido Beach Boulevard to stand in the rain of throws.

Future Mardi Gras Dates:

2021 - February 16
2022 - March 1
2023 - February 21
2024 - February 13
2025 - March 4

*As you make plans to attend this event during these conirmed 2020 dates, we will update this section with more details as soon as we learn of them.*

The Orange Beach Sports Association presents the 28th Annual Orange Beach Seafood Festival & Car Show at The Wharf. Come out to spend the day with family and friends while enjoying loads of tasty food, live music on two stages, and over 125 arts & crafts vendors!

Drop the kids off at the Kids Zone to play while you check out dozens of classic and hot rod vehicles and vendors. Bring the whole family including your furry BFF for our new Paws on Parade! We can’t wait to see the costumes! Come out and support this beautiful area and the sports-related activities in our community!

Future dates:

2021               February 27
2022               February 19        (Moved up due to Mardi Gras)
2023               February 25

Festival of Art celebrates an extraordinary amount of arts and artists from visual arts and fine arts and crafts to glass artists, potters, painters, sculptors, watercolorists, textile artists and wood artists. The event will also hold a kid's art alley, a culinary arts court featuring local fare and a music and songwriter's stage.

Satellite public parking is available with shuttle and will be provided by BRATS for a $5 daily rate. No public parking will be available on site. Parking this year is at The Wharf in Orange Beach on the west side of the property near the former Burris location. Bike Village will provide bicycle parking at the festival!

For more information visit our website.

The 68th Annual Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival is scheduled for March 20-22. Festival hours are Friday - Sunday from 10am - 5pm. The festival is free to the public.

More than 230 exhibitors from all over the country will bring their best works. This prestigious juried show showcases artists from across the country including many from the Southeast. Enjoy live entertainment and delicious cuisine from the food court throughout this great three-day event. An Eastern Shore staple for more than 60 years, there’s something for everyone at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival on the streets of beautiful downtown Fairhope.

*We anticipate this event occurring around these estimated dates. Once we learn the confirmed dates, we will update this page. Meanwhile, read about last year's event details below.*

The Wharf Boat and Yacht Show will offer the largest in-water display of any boat show along the upper Gulf Coast. It will showcase the latest offerings from boat manufacturers and dealers throughout the Southeast.

In-water displays will allow prospective buyers to test drive the boat of their dreams before taking advantage of on the spot financing. Last year there were over $90 million in boats and marine products for display, including more than 135 in-water vessels and an additional 450-plus boats displayed on land.

This year, show organizers report a sell-out crowd of exhibitors, promising even more variety. Virtually every type of vessel will be shown, ranging from luxury yachts and sport fisherman, to center consoles, cruisers, pontoons and runabouts.

But it doesn't stop there. Visitors can get their hands on the hottest marine electronics, fishing tackle, marine engines, and outdoor equipment as numerous exhibitors showcase the cutting edge in marine gear and personal watercraft.

NEW FOR 2019! BoatUS On-Water Training. No experience necessary!
Whether you love boating and want to gain confidence at the helm, you're considering buying or renting a boat and want to learn new skills, or you're just curious about boating, the BoatUS Foundation has partnered with the Wharf Boat and Yacht Show  and Freedom Boat Club  to offer you the BoatUS Foundation On-Water Training program. It is a fun, easy, and affordable way to develop your sea legs!

The Elberta Sausage Festival makes its semi-annual return to that South Baldwin hamlet. Held in Elberta Town Park, just north of the town’s only stop light on Hwy. 98, the event attracts up to 20,000 revelers, according to organizers. A 40-year tradition, the festival is a major regional event that attracts a cross section of the community in what has become a reunion type atmosphere. It is also the main revenue source for the area’s volunteer fire department.

Festival fans can enjoy Elberta's famous German sausage and sauerkraut, plus continuous entertainment
for adults and children, and 250 arts & crafts booths. There will also be carnival rides and a full-scale Midway. Of course, there will also be a Bier Garten featuring a large selection of imported and domestic beers.

Other scrumptious foods will include German-style filled cabbage, potato salad, goulash, red beans and rice, hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ sandwiches, ice cream, popcorn, peanuts and homemade baked goods.
The Bellview Stumpfiddle Band will perform with the North End Stompers and other cloggers. There will also be polka, country and German music.

Spearheaded by Elberta's Volunteer Fire Department since 1978, festival proceeds are used for improving not only the fire department, but the town as well. Additionally, local non-profits benefit from the festival through proceeds from their booth sales and parking lot fees. The festival is held twice a year - on the last Saturday of March and the last Saturday of October. Although it has been tweaked a bit over the years, the original secret recipe for Elberta's famous sausage is credited to Alfred Stucki, who managed Elberta's Locker Plant from 1953 until his death in 1973. About 7,000 pounds of German Sausage are consumed at each fest.

*As you make plans to attend this event during these confirmed dates, we will update this section with more details as soon as we learn of them. Meanwhile, read about last years event details below.*

The annual Waterway Village Zydeco & Crawfish Festival boils up a beaucoup (French for a lot) of fun! Sink your teeth into hot, juicy, lip-smacking crawfish throughout the day while dancing to the infectious rhythms of some of the best Zydeco bands from around the South. There will be arts and crafts vendors as well as children's activities offering nonstop fun for all ages.
If that's not enough, work up an appetite with the 5K Run/1 Mile Fun Run and Laissez les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll) all day long.   

Music Lineup
10 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.:               Rusty Metoyer & Zydeco Krush
11:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.:          Excelsior
11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.:                 Lil Nate and the Zydeco Big Timers
1 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.:                   Excelsior
1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.:              Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers  
2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.:             Excelsior
2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.:             Chubby Carrier
4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.:             Excelsior
4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.:                  Step Rideau