Festivals & Events September/October
The arrival of Fall brings an abundance of new festivals and events to the Sunshine State. Unleash your inner songwriter, indulge in the freshest seafood, or take part in one of the many Fall festivals and Oktoberfest activities. With so much to choose from, you’re guaranteed to have a great time during your stay in Florida!
SEPTEMBER
8-10
Juana Good Time Regatta
Navarre Beach
Calling all sailors and spectators! Don’t miss the Juana Good Time Regatta, which focuses on having a good time. This annual event is designed for both novice and experienced racers and is open to all sizes of multihull sailboats. It all begins with a party on Friday evening to relax and unwind with complimentary snacks and free/discounted drinks, along with live music throughout the weekend’s festivities. Saturday kicks off with the Distance Race, followed by the Sailors Dinner and fun door prizes. The event concludes on Sunday with the exciting Triangle Buoy Races and Awards Ceremony with hand-crafted trophies.
juanaspagodas.com/RegattaNews.htm
September 22-October 1
Island Hopper Songwriter Fest
Captiva Island/Fort Myers
The Island Hopper Songwriter Fest is a 10-day music festival in Southwest Florida. This event features performances by hundreds of singer-songwriters from across the country. The festival kicks off on Captiva Island before moving to downtown Fort Myers and ending with a weekend on Fort Myers Beach. Most of the shows are free except for a few headliner shows. Previous headliners include Maren Morris, Jimmy Allen, Kylie Morgan, and Rodney Atkins. Aside from the performances, festival-goers can enjoy songwriting workshops, pool parties, and lots of delicious foods and drinks.
island-hopperfest.visitfortmyers.com/
September 29-October 1
Pensacola Seafood Festival
Pensacola
The Pensacola Seafood Festival brings you the freshest seafood from local vendors. With options like shrimp, crawfish, scallops, alligator, calamari, lobster rolls, and more, this festival is a seafood lover’s dream! Not into seafood? This festival has you covered with menu choices like hot dogs, burgers, bloomin’ onions, turkey legs, and pork rinds, so there’s something for everyone. Taste delicious seafood prepared by some of the finest chefs in the area, enjoy live music from up-and-coming performers, or shop for unique arts and crafts from almost 200 vendors. This family-friendly event also includes a children’s area with face painting, arts & crafts, games, activities, and more.
pensacolaseafoodfestival.com/
OCTOBER
5-8
Suwannee Roots Revival
Live Oak
This family-friendly festival is packed with four days of Americana, Folk, and Bluegrass music across multiple stages. The event also includes camping, yoga, music workshops, a kid’s stage and activities, a dance tent, and campground picking sessions. Visitors can also enjoy the natural setting of 800 acres of Spanish moss-draped oak and cypress trees along the Suwannee River. Take part in outdoor activities like swimming, canoeing, kayaking, Frisbee golf, and biking. The Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park also provides amenities, such as a general store, full-service restaurant, free showers, indoor bathrooms, and water stations. Upgrade your camping experience with RV hookups, cabin rentals, and golf cart rentals for getting around the festival with ease.
visitsuwannee.com/live-oak/suwannee-roots-revival
6-8
Destin Seafood Festival
Destin
Destin’s annual Seafood Festival signals the start of the Destin Fishing Rodeo, which lasts the entire month of October. A Destin tradition since 1978, the festival is the primary fundraiser for the Destin Charter Boat Association. The seafood festival also includes a smaller event, the Call to Chef, which features food samples and craft beers from local chefs and restaurants. Enjoy delicious local seafood, listen to live music, and shop for fine art, jewelry, sculptures, and garments from more than 100 vendors.
destinseafoodfest.com/
6-8
Everybody’s Favorite Barbecue and Hot Sauce Festival
West Palm
The Everybody’s Favorite Barbecue and Hot Sauce Festival celebrates America’s best barbecue and hot sauce vendors and honors musical legends. The three-day festival features a wide variety of barbecue and hot sauce vendors as well as comedy showcases and nightly music-themed shows spanning such musical genres as blues, reggae, pop, and country. This family-friendly event also honors local teachers for their contributions to the community. The highly-anticipated festival usually sells out, so be sure to get your tickets early!
everybodysfavoritefestival.com/
6-8
Pirates of the High Seas and Renaissance Fest
Panama City Beach
This annual festival celebrates the pirates who once pillaged the Emerald Coast and tells the story of Dominique Youx and his buccaneers through storytelling and staged pirate battles. Activities include live music, a magic show, a fire circus show, dance performances, treasure hunts, Renaissance vendors, parades, and more! Pirate fans who can’t attend the festival in person can enjoy online activities like the digital pirate costume contest and online treasure hunt. A spectacular fireworks show concludes the day’s activities on Friday and Saturday night.
visitpanamacitybeach.com/pirates-of-the-high-seas/
19-22
REEF Fest
Key Largo
Explore and learn about the latest efforts in Florida Keys coral reef conservation at the annual REEF Fest in Key Largo, which is home to the only contiguous coral barrier reef in North America. This event features coral reef dives, snorkeling excursions guided by knowledgeable REEF fish surveyors, and guided kayak eco-tours to see wading birds and nearshore marine life. Kayak tour reservations include all rental equipment, a lesson on paddling techniques, snacks, drinking water, and an experienced guide. An open house gathering allows conservationists to mingle, enjoy craft beer and wine, tour the interpretive center, or walk a native plants trail. Visitors can also participate in educational marine conservation seminars each afternoon. An open-air celebration lets festivalgoers connect for dinner, drinks, and a gorgeous sunset over Florida Bay.
reef.org/reeffest
20-29
Key West Fantasy Fest
Key West
This 10-day party lets adults dress up as their favorite fantasy characters and live out their wildest dreams! Activities at the event include live music, original musical theater performances, pool parties, costume contests, a masquerade ball, body painting, cabaret performances, parades, and more! There’s even a costume masquerade contest for your pets. Shop for local art, jewelry, costumes, and toys at the Fantasy Market, which features fun entertainment and lots of delicious food and drinks. The festival comes to a close with “The Fat Lady Sings” Tea Dance, where you can dance the evening away with music from a live DJ. This year’s festival theme is “Uniforms and Unicorns.” Be aware that most of these events are for adults only, so you’ll want to leave the kids home for this one!
fantasyfest.com/
25-29
Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
Fort Lauderdale
Experience the largest in-water boat show in the world during this five-day event in Fort Lauderdale. Previous shows have attracted more than 100,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors representing 52 countries around the world with more than 1,300 boats on display. The Conventional Center showcases fishing boats, runabouts, cruisers, marine accessories, fishing equipment, diving accessories, and personal watercraft. There is also a 40,000-gallon freshwater pool lets show-goers get up close and personal with various water sports and innovative products. For a learning experience, attend educational seminars presented by West Marine, Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Ocean Rescue Alliance, and more. There are also kids fishing clinics on Saturday and Sunday with Captain Don Dingman from Hook the Future. Superyacht Village is an exclusive marina featuring the largest and most luxurious vessels in the show. Board a super yacht for some Instagram-worthy photos or meet with world-renowned yacht builders to help design your next dream boat. If you get hungry, choose from over 100 vendors offering a variety of foods, from Greek gyros to authentic street tacos and hand-crafted burgers. Fresh stone crab claws, calamari, and oysters are also available. Upgrade to the VIP experience for exclusive amenities like access to the Windward VIP Club, premium open bars, gourmet food, pop-up activations, and complimentary water taxi service.
flibs.com/en/home.html
26-29
Hulaween
Live Oak
Hulaween is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a massive line-up of musical acts. This four-day music festival held at the Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park in Live Oak features acts like The String Cheese Incident, Pretty Lights, Trey Anastasio Band, Smino, and many more. Be prepared to rough it if you go to this festival. General admission tickets give you access to primitive camping grounds on a first-come, first-served basis. Car, RV, and golf cart access costs extra. Camp hosts will be available to help you find a suitable campsite and answer any questions you may have. Vendors for food, drinks and merchandise are available on-site, but keep in mind that the food and drink vendors are cashless and only accept credit or debit cards and contactless payment methods from your phone. Other activities throughout the park include canoeing, Frisbee golf, fishing, and more.
suwanneehulaween.com/
FESTIVALS LASTING THROUGH THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
All Month
Viva Tampa Bay Hispanic Heritage Festival
Tampa
This month-long festival celebrates Hispanic heritage and coincides with Hispanic Heritage Month. Held at Harvey Perry Sr. Park, this annual celebration features exceptional live music from a variety of Hispanic artists, deliciously authentic Latin cuisine, energetic dance performances, and educational opportunities to learn about this exciting culture all month long.
vivatampabayfestival.com/
Every Saturday and Sunday in October
Countryside Family Farms Fall Festival and Maze
Vero Beach
This family-friendly fall festival features a corn maze with hidden riddles to mark your progress and help you reach the end. Along with the maze, there are a wide variety of fun activities to choose from, including a hayride, pumpkin patch, giant chess, rubber ducky races, a zip line, family photo opportunities, and much more! Fill your belly with tasty festival foods like farm-made pizza, house-made chips with guacamole or queso, farm fresh salads, and hot dogs. Be sure to save room for dessert with farm-fresh offerings like Key Lime pie, the BIG cinnamon bun, Donna Sue’s pecan pie, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Special events throughout the month include the Humane Society Adopt a Pet on October 8th and 9th, Hit and Miss Engines on October 15th and 16th, and the Cock-A-Doodle-Doo Petting Zoo on October 22nd and 23rd.
countrysidecitrus.com/countryside-fall-festival-and-maze
OKTOBERFEST EVENTS THROUGHOUT FLORIDA
September 29-30 and October 6-7
Oktoberfest of Pinellas County
Pinellas Park
Voted “Best of the Bay” for its authenticity, the Oktoberfest of Pinellas County certainly lives up to its name! This festival includes made-from-scratch traditional German foods, desserts, and coffee along with a rotating selection of Bavarian-imported beers. Activities include a parade of flags, traditional and modern live music, a keg tapping ceremony, a raffle, and a bier stein holding contest. There are also lessons on traditional German dances and vendors with unique German items.
germantampa.com/oktoberfest/
October 13-15 and October 20-22
Oktoberfest of the Palm Beaches
Lake Worth
Known as one of the largest Oktoberfests in the country, this festival is celebrating its 49th year! This festival features two German bands both weekends, authentic German cooking, domestic and imported beer, a carnival, folk dance performances, and more. The traditional cuisine includes schnitzel, bratwurst, Bavarian meat loaf, and rich desserts like Black Forest cake and apple strudel. Enjoy the live music, flag parade, keg tapping ceremony, and the carnival, which features several new rides and games for both children and adults. Shop for unique gifts like German apparel, handmade European jewelry, Christmas ornaments, Black Forest cuckoo clocks, pyramid windmills, and beer steins.
oktoberfestflorida.com/
October 20-22 and October 27-29
Cape Coral Oktoberfest
Cape Coral
This Oktoberfest brings Munich to Cape Coral with non-stop live music from German bands, two dance floors, and plenty of specialty German foods and beers. Dining options include traditional favorites like schnitzel, German potato salad, sauerkraut, bratwurst, and potato pancakes. Wash it all down with some alcoholic beverages like imported German bier, domestic beer, and German wine and spirits. Kids can have a blast at the carnival while you shop for hand-made crafts and souvenirs. This festival is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and until eight pm on Sunday, so you can enjoy the party well into the night.
capecoraloktoberfest.com
