Galveston Island Shrimp Fest Offers a Taste of Seafood Heaven
If you are a big-time gumbo gulper, shrimp stuffer, Houston sea-foodie or just a weekend Strand stroller, Galveston Island is definitely the place to be on September 27–28 for the 2019 Galveston Island Wild Texas Shrimp Festival. Yaga’s Entertainment is bringing this taste of seafood heaven to the Strand and downtown district’s Saengerfest Park with some of the best shrimp and gumbo our Gulf waters and local restaurants have to offer.
Denizens of our Houston-Galveston Metroplex reside next to Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, one of the most productive seafood dominions in the country. We learn from a young age to enjoy sweet shrimp in its many forms—breaded, buttered, boiled, broiled and fried—and to sip savory shrimp and seafood gumbo until we become connoisseurs. This is why an event like the Galveston Shrimp Fest offers so much for seafood-crazed locals.
Festivities begin on Friday evening, September 27. A VIP Sponsor Party and Texas-Size Shrimp Dinner in Saengerfest Park honors the festival’s sponsors and cook-off teams. Want to be a VIP? Well, here is your chance. Sponsor Party tickets including a Texas-Size Shrimp Dinner and Libations are on sale to the public for $50 each.
On Saturday, bring your running shoes (or not). Festival events begin with the Galveston Island Shrimp Festival Official 5K Fun Run/Walk, presented by Moody National Bank, starting at 28th & Seawall at 9am. All fitness levels, ages, costumes and teams are encouraged! Registration levels include the “5K Only,” with an event T-shirt and a beer at race-packet pickup and two more after the run at Beerfoot Brewery; the “5K + Gumbo Stroll” includes these items plus a commemorative Gumbo Sampling Cup and entry into the Galveston Island Wild Texas Shrimp Festival.
Not a runner? Saturday events also include the Shrimp Gumbo Cook-Off, free Ron Hoover RV & Marine’s boat display, vendor exhibits and live music in the Historic Strand District starting at 10am. Festival visitors can purchase a commemorative Gumbo Sampling Cup in advance for $12 plus tax for a limited time that allows guests to sample gumbo from over 50 amateur and professional cook-off teams from noon to 4pm.
Other events on Saturday include the Lil’ Shrimps Parade at 3pm sponsored by the Galveston Shrimp Company, and the Strand Merchant Walkabout from noon to 4pm, where contestants will visit participating Strand Merchants for a chance to win over $300 in gift cards.
The Galveston Island Shrimp Festival donates a portion of proceeds to the Resource and Crisis Center of Galveston County and The Justin David Hughes Fund at University of Texas Medical Branch.
For tickets and additional information visit www.galvestonislandshrimpfestival.com.
