oin us for the first annual Key West Pink Shrimp Festival to be held in February at the Key West Historic Seaport. Enjoy 3 days of events and activities celebrating the ‘pink gold’ harvested in the Gulf and Dry Tortugas.

It’s All About the Shrimp…

…and the history, culture, authenticity and the nostalgia taking families back to the days when commercial shrimping was a way of life that put food on the table and resources back into the community.

Fresh from the Sea

Events will start with welcoming Key West’s only remaining commercial shrimping operation, Miss Key West, back to her slip at the Historic Seaport after a hard few weeks of fishing to unload her catch for the festival.

Special Events

Events will include a blessing of the fleet, har- bor wide happy hour featuring fresh shrimp dishes, Chef tasting menus (fresh off the boat) at various restaurants, a Shrimp crawl (ticketed event) – guided walking tour, Shrimp festival area with lil shrimp games & activi- ties, contests and tastings, arts & craft vendors and local live music. Miss Key West tours, net repair demonstrations, Down the Docks history walking tour (ticketed event) and Key West Pink Shrimp brunch at participating restaurants will round out the weekend. Pink Gold Rush According to the Key West Art and Historic Socity, in 1965, Monroe County officials announced that in the first six months of the year, 7.5 million pounds adding up to $4 million worth of pink shrimp was landed in the county. Florida pink shrimp were discovered off the Dry Tortugas in 1949. Fishermen flocked to the Key West Bight bringing nearly 500 shrimp trawlers in the 1950s and 1960s. There were so many boats in port that it was often said that you could walk from one side of the seaport to the other without ever touching water. This era is often referred to as the ‘pink gold rush’. During its height, the industry netted more than $5 million each year. [Credit: KWAHS Collection 2016.22.0162] Join us on facebook for up to date information about the festival, tickets and how you can be a part of it.