The crab festival in Maryland, better known as the Maryland Seafood Festival, began in 1966 in Annapolis. At the time, the festival promoted Maryland clams, which were rarely eaten. The festival changed over the years to focus on all of Maryland's seafood including the beloved blue crab.
The Maryland Seafood Festival is held in September at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Maryland Seafood Festival needs hundreds of volunteers over the course of the three-day event. Volunteers receive free admission and other perks; prospective volunteers can download an application at the festival's website.
One of the festival's highlights is the crab soup cookoff, with proceeds going to charity. Sample cream of crab and vegetable crab soup varieties and vote for your favorite.
While the focus of the Seafood Festival is seafood, especially crab, the festival also offers live music, arts and crafts, and children's activities.
Summer tourists can find many other seafood festivals and crab fests on the Maryland Seafood website, but the Maryland Seafood Festival remains the oldest and most well-known.
