Marathon unveils program, local highlights for 50th Seafood Festival March 14-15

Greater Marathon organizers unveiled the program for the 50th Annual Marathon Seafood Festival at Marathon Community Park, announcing a weekend of seafood, live music and family attractions set for March 14-15, 2026. Admission is $5 per person and children 12 and under are free, and promotional materials invite families to join the half-century tradition.

The festival footprint remains large: the event typically draws more than 15,000 people, will feature over 200 vendor booths and relies on a volunteer corps of more than 200 longtime volunteers and local groups. Organizers publish the festival program this week ahead of the anniversary weekend; the community-run event traces its roots to a 1976 fishermen’s gathering and returns revenue to local students and charities, with organizers saying the festival raises approximately $75,000 each year for scholarships and donations.

Food offerings listed in the program and event materials emphasize local catch and classic Keys dishes, including Florida lobster and lobster tails, stone crab and stone crab claws, smoked fish dip, conch fritters, fish tacos, mahi-mahi, oysters, ceviche, crab cakes and lobster or crab bisque. The festival’s beverage lineup includes draft Bud and Bud Light, Islamorada Beer Company ales and IPAs, frozen margaritas and daiquiris, wines, mimosas, Powerade and Coca-Cola, alongside water and nonalcoholic options.

Entertainment and family programming are prominent in the published schedule: an open-air stage will host live musical performances throughout the weekend, a kids zone will offer a rock climbing wall, bungee jumping, obstacle courses, giant Jenga and face painting, and a small boat show will run alongside arts and craft kiosks. Unique vendor offerings highlighted in promotional copy include nautical jewelry, tropical apparel, seaweed hats and sculptures made from repurposed lobster trap materials.

There are two different published sets of hours for the weekend: festival promotional materials list Saturday hours as 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday hours as 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., while the Greater Marathon Chamber of Commerce calendar listing shows March 14 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and March 15 ending at 5:00 p.m. For logistics, Marathon Community Park is listed at 200 Ocean, 36th Street, Marathon, FL 33050; the park phone is 305-743-0033 and the Chamber contact is 305-743-5417.

Organizers and local partners are pitching the event as both a cultural celebration and an economic boost: Florida’s calendar this year includes dozens of seafood festivals statewide, and festival materials note the longstanding role of Marathon’s event in supporting Middle Keys families, students and local vendors as it marks its 50th anniversary.