MARATHON, Florida Keys — What started as a community event to bolster tourism business has, more than 30 years later, become one of the Middle Keys’ most anticipated and sumptuous weekends. The Original Marathon Seafood Festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, March 10-11, features a feast of fish, shrimp, lobster and conch for tens of thousands of seafood lovers.

Indigenous seafood such as mahi-mahi, Florida lobster, succulent stone crab claws, plump pink shrimp and smoked fish are the anchoring attractions … Read the rest

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys – Amateur and professional cook-off contestants and wannabe world champions representing seven U.S. states and Canada are busy testing their best recipes in preparation for the third annual Islamorada Chili Cook-Off. The competition is set for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 18-19, at the Islamorada Moose Lodge, mile marker 81.

Tasting tickets to this International Chili Society–sanctioned event are to be available to the public. Attendees can taste 10 to 12 amateur entries Saturday, and choose from among … Read the rest

KEY LARGO, Florida Keys — Offering fine fresh local seafood, live musical entertainment, cooking demonstrations, contests and kids’ fun, the Key Largo Stone Crab & Seafood Festival is set for Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29, at Rowell’s Marina, mile marker 104.5 bayside.

Sponsored by the Key Largo Fisheries and Key Largo Merchants Association, the third annual event is to be a delicious weekend of family fun, food and fish from local waters. Attractions include arts and crafts, vendor booths, fireworks, … Read the rest

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Fresh Florida Keys seafood and the commercial fishermen who harvest it are to be celebrated Saturday, Jan. 14, during the seventh annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival.

Presented by the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen’s Association, the family-friendly festival is set for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Key West’s Bayview Park, located at Truman Avenue and Jose Marti Drive. Admission is free.

The seafood festival’s menu features fresh grilled Florida lobster, Key West pink shrimp, fried … Read the rest

KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Creative cuisine, premium wines and unique events in a subtropical island setting are to characterize the third annual Key West Food and Wine Festival, set for Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 26-29.

Indoor and outdoor events showcase local chefs’ culinary flair and favorite indigenous ingredients while offering “only in the Keys” experiences.

Attendees can whet their appetites at a barefoot evening beach party Thursday, Jan. 26. Island cuisine, wine and music are planned, but footwear is … Read the rest

DUCK KEY, Florida Keys — Florida Keys visitors can celebrate chowder power and fritter flavor during the second annual Conchtoberfest, set for Friday through Sunday, Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, at one of Marathon’s premier locations at Duck Key.

A deliciously themed and decorated weekend event, Conchtoberfest includes food, specialty drinks, family activities and games, conch shell blowing contests and live local music entertainment at the Hawks Cay Resort marina, in front of Tom’s Harbor House at 61 Hawks Cay … Read the rest