Welcome to The 48th Annual National Shrimp Festival in beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama! We are so glad you’ve decided to spend an October weekend with us! For four fun fall days, October 10-13, 2019, Shrimp Festival Fever will take over Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. And we know many of you have been to visit our lovely island during Shrimp Fest, but for those of you who haven’t yet come down to experience the crustacean celebration, we invite you to give us a try! The Shrimp Festival, with its 250,000 estimated attendance, can be a bit intimidating. We thought we’d give you a few tips to help you enjoy your 2019 Annual National Shrimp Festival Weekend:
1 Know Where You’re Staying
With so many options on where to stay during Shrimp Festival Weekend, how do you decide what’s best for you? At Sunset Properties, we are happy to help you with that! If you want to stay within walking distance of the festival, check out Bare Foot. This lovely three bedroom home sleeps up to eight people and is only a short walk to the main public beach in Gulf Shores. If you’d like to stay in a condominium in Gulf Shores, take a look at Island Sunrise 468. This super cute condo sleeps up to eight people comfortably and has an amazing Gulf front beach view. Maybe you want to stay a little farther away from the festival site and use a shuttle for part of your trip to it. Check out Dunes 704. This one bedroom condo sleeps up to six people and has two full baths. It is located near Fort Morgan and will allow you all the quietness of the Fort Morgan community after you leave Shrimp Fest each evening. If a penthouse appeals to you, be sure to check out Caribe C Penthouse 14 in Orange Beach. While you’ll need to plan your transportation to the festival site, you’re sure to love this elegantly decorated penthouse condominium that overlooks Perdido Pass.
2 Know How to Get to The Shrimp Fest Site
So getting to the Shrimp Fest site can be a bit complicated. With the roads blocked off just north of the public beaches in Gulf Shores, parking can be pretty challenging. We suggest taking BRATS. Baldwin Rural Area Transit Service, lovingly known by us locals as BRATS, is the best way to get there. BRATS shuttles will pick you up and drop you off outside the festival site making access a breeze! Festival goers can purchase an all day rider’s pass and shuttles run about every 15 minutes. For a complete list of shuttle stops, check out this link to the Festival Shuttle Guide.
3 Know Your Art and Entertainment Options
This is the 48th Annual National Shrimp Festival and the Arts and Crafts and Music continue to just get better with each year. The fine arts section of The Shrimp Fest is a juried show and awards are given to the best of the best. The Crafts section is slam full of crafters who create everything from clothes to household items and just plain unique art. If you’re having a hard time deciding what to get your special someone for Christmas, make a plan to shop the Shrimp Festival. We are sure you’ll find something for your someone who seemingly has everything. There are so many unique items to choose from, your Christmas shopping will be super easy while you’re here. And of course, you’ll want to know the music lineup. We have included the music lineup here, but remember things can change a little:
Thursday, October 10, 2019
EAST STAGE
• Lisa Christian: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• Poarch Ninjas: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• Ryan Balthrop: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
• Tobacco RD: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
• Style the Band: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
• Doctor Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster: 8:15 PM – 10:00 PM
WEST STAGE
• Logan Lassiter: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• Hannah McFarland: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• Roxy & The Magic Johnsons: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
• Bruce Smelley: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
• David Jones & Friends: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
• The Tip Tops: 8:15 PM – 10:00 PM
Friday, October 11, 2019
EAST STAGE
• Tophat and Jackie: 10:00 AM -11:30 AM
• Tracey & Alan: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• The Defrosters: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
• Will Smith: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
• Journey2Mars: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
• Category 6: 8:15 PM – 10:00 PM
WEST STAGE
• Brent Burns: 10:00 AM -11:30 AM
• Christina Christian: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• Shiny Objects: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
• Yeah, Probably: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
• The Wildflowers: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
• Doctor Zarr’s Amazing Funk Monster: 8:15 PM – 10:00 PM
Saturday, October 12, 2019
EAST STAGE
• Elaine Petty: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• Ten Penny Gypsy: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• JoJo Pres: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
• Miles Flatt: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
• Cort Carpenter: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
• Mustache’ The Band: 8:15 PM – 10:00 PM
WEST STAGE
• Singing for Scholarships Contest: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
• Elvis Remembered: 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM
• Ultimate Def Leppard: An Incredible Tribute: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM
• Highway to Hell: The Ultimate AC/DC Tribute Band: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
• Velcro Pygmies: 8:15 PM – 10:00 PM
Sunday, October 13, 2019
EAST STAGE
• Worship Service: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• Al & Cathy: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• Sandra Kaye & The Legend Band: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
• Voodoo Bayou: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
WEST STAGE
• Marcus & Ebony: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
• Andy Smith: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
• Wavelength: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
• The Groovinators: 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
4 Know How to Dress
Fall along the Alabama Gulf Coast can be a bit tricky. One day it might be a clear beautiful 80 degree day with low humidity and the next day it may rain and be a cool 60 degrees outside. So what do you wear to Shrimp Fest? We suggest packing some fun tees and shorts and your flip flops. You’re probably going to need them at least one of the days you’re here. Don’t forget to pack your swimsuit, too! The Gulf is still warm enough to take a dip and all of our beach vacation homes have available pools. Some even have hot tubs on site and you won’t want to miss out on those! Also, bring some comfy jeans. Nights in October can be a bit chilly. We can’t predict the evening air temps from year to year, but it’s better to be prepared than to be chilled while you’re watching your favorite bands perform at the festival. And it’s a good idea to pack your frog tog or wind breaker. Like we mentioned before, sometimes it does rain a little in October.
5 Know What You Can Take Inside
The Festival grounds are gated, but entrance is free. The National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores is a family event. Bring your kids, in-laws, and best buds and plan to stay a while. Phones and cameras are allowed. And they have a wonderful Kids Area all planned out. You will want to take pictures and make life-long memories while you’re here. Having said that, though, there are a few things you cannot bring into the festival site. Pets are not allowed. If you choose to bring your dog with you on your Shrimp Festival Weekend Vacation to stay in one of our many dog friendly rentals, we strongly suggest your reach out to the good folks at Sea Paws Dog Resort to schedule a play time for your fur baby. Coolers are not allowed. Why would you need one anyway? The best food available anywhere and the coldest beer and sodas will be available right inside the festival. For other FAQs, follow this link to the Shrimp Festival page for information.
We at Sunset Properties are thrilled to know you’re coming to celebrate Shrimp Fest Weekend with us. If you have any questions about your vacation home reservation, call, text or email us. We are happy to help. And remember, our Shrimp Festival Weekend is four days long, so you’ll want to plan to come early and be there Thursday when it opens. Thursday is less crowded than any other day and it’s the day when most of us locals go and hang out. So come on down a day early and hang out with us! We are looking forward to your arrival!
251.543.1370
