Last updated on March 15th, 2026 at 05:19 pm
The Marathon Seafood Festival calls itself the Original Marathon Seafood Festival to emphasize it’s the real deal – indigenous and authentic.
The oldest seafood festival in the Keys, the Marathon event was founded in 1976 by commercial fishermen, and it’s the fishermen who catch and cook all of the seafood. Their wives bake the Key Lime pies and desserts, according to event coordinator Leah Luckin.
The event annually raises $75,000 that goes back into the community in charitable donations and scholarships for local Middle Keys students.
The event, now the second most popular festival in the Keys after Key West Fantasy Fest, has grown to include live music, a fine art show, boat show, rides and games and booths selling products ranging seagrass hats to sculptures made from old lobster traps.
More than 200 vendors are expected.
Seafood, fresh off the boat, however, is the real reason to attend the two-day festival.
Traffic Note: Festival weekends in the Keys can be a test of patience. There is only one highway through the Keys, and traffic backups are common even on quiet weekends.
The most popular item is a Florida lobster dinner. More than 2,000 pounds of local spiny lobster is served. And it may be your last chance at the tasty crustaceans… lobster season ends on March 31.
The Keys are also prime harvest grounds for the stone crab, which you’ll find in ample supply at the festival.
Wine and beer, including local craft beers, will be served, as well as soft drinks, along with the usual seafood fest sides hush puppies, cole slaw and French fries, and, of course, Key Lime pie.
Official web site: Marathon Seafood Festival.
FAQ: Marathon Seafood Festival
Admission: $5 per person, per day. Children under 12 free. No pets.
Directions: Head south on the Overseas Highway to Mile Marker 49, the Marathon Community Park, 200 36th St., which is the ocean side of the road. If you get to the Seven Miles Bridge, then you’ve missed it.
There is some free parking around town, but your best bet may be schools and churches that charge for parking as a fund-raiser. Many offer shuttles. One site specifically listed by the festival is Stanley Switlik Elementary School, 3400 Overseas Highway, Marathon, FL 33050; bayside.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. It gets crowded. The earlier you get there the better, say the event organizers.
Don’t leave home without it: Overseas Highway Mile Marker Guide
Where to stay
The Marathon Seafood Festival occurs in peak season, so rooms will go for their highest rates of the year.
The most reasonably priced accommodations will be in 1950s-era mom-and-pop motels, which dot the Keys. While not luxurious, many retain a lot of Keys character.
Vacation home rentals in Marathon have become extremely popular — and more available — in recent years.
Book a hotel room at hotels.com
Book a vacation home at VRBO.com
Boaters
Marathon’s Boot Key Harbor is popular with boaters mooring for the night while transiting the Keys.
Read this story: Marathon is the seagoing heart of the Florida Keys
Camping
Private RV Parks
Peak-season rates at these private parks vary and often exceed $150 per night, including sales and tourist taxes. *”Moderately priced by Keys standards” means nightly rates range between $120 and $200, but may exceed $200 with boat dockage and waterfront. Check individual campgrounds for current rates by clicking on links.
Big Pine Key RV Resort (formerly Big Pine Key Fishing Lodge), 33000 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key. Sites with and without hookups. Dockage. Moderately priced by Keys standards.
Coconut Cay RV Park and Marina, 7200 Aviation Blvd., Marathon. Behind the Marathon airport, this campground is still growing and now has houseboat rentals as well as motel rooms and RV sites with hookups. Phone: 305-289-1870.
Fiesta Key RV Resort and Marina, 70001 Overseas Hwy, Layton. Huge RV resort with more than 300 sites. Expensive.
Jolly Roger RV Resort, 59275 Overseas Highway, Marathon. Phone: 305-289-0404. 130 sites. *Moderately priced by Keys standards.
Sun Outdoors RV Resort, 59151 Overseas Highway, Marathon. Phone: 305-289-0011. 95 sites. *Moderately priced by Keys standards.
Sunshine Key RV Resort, 38801 Overseas Highway, Big Pine Key. Another massive RV park with more than 400 sites. Fully restored after getting wiped out by 2017 hurricane. Phone: (305) 872-2217. Expensive.
*”Moderately priced by Keys standards” means nightly rates range between $120 and $200, but may exceed $200 with boat dockage and waterfront.
State parks with camping
These state park campgrounds are $36 per night plus a $7 daily utility fee, and they are booked well in advance. While it’s possible to find last-minute cancellations, it’s a challenge.
- Curry Hammock State Park: Campground is on the beach, behind the sea oats.
- Bahia Honda State Park: Across the 7-mile Bridge, west of Marathon. Popular beaches, popular campgrounds.
Things to do in Marathon
- The Old Seven Mile Bridge and Pigeon Key
- Kayaking Marathon: Boot Key, mangrove tunnels, lagoons
- Sea Turtle Hospital in Marathon
- Florida Keys wildlife: Places to see animals
- Tiki bars: Soak up the Keys atmosphere
- 12 great kayak outings in the Keys
- Top 10 pit stops on Overseas Highway
- Beaches in the Florida Keys
You also may want to see: Florida Seafood Festival Calendar
The citizens of the Florida Keys need your support this year more than ever!! Most families survive on the fishing industries and/or hospitality trade!! It will take awhile for families to become whole again, So, book your reservations early for this incredible event. You won’t be sorry…AND THE FOOD IS THE BEST!!
Brian & Mary Kate Smith
Custom Coastal Furniture
305-283-3520