Pull out that dive gear and come with an appetite – the 22nd Annual Schooners Lobster Festival starts today!
Schooners Lobster Festival and Tournament has always been a local favorite, but now as the festival continues to grow in popularity, there is an effort to attract visitors from all over the South East to come and enjoy the festivities and take advantage of Panama City’s beautiful beaches and seafood.
About the event
Divers from all over the country will compete in a variety of lobster categories including Spiny Lobster, Big 6 and Shovelnose, with an opportunity to win cash and prizes totaling over $10,000. Weigh-ins will be from 3-6pm on Saturday and Noon-3pm on Sunday.
This year there will be a “mini” lobster feast served on Saturday, with the famous traditional Lobster Feast beginning at Noon on Sunday. A special Schooners menu has been developed for all the fresh local lobster that will be harvested by the divers.
At 5pm, Thursday, a silent auction will begin featuring incredible merchandise and unique packages with proceeds benefiting the Toys for Kids Foundation and the Florida Aquatic Marine Institute (FAMI). The auction will close at 8pm and all auction items will be handed out from the Beach stage.
There will also be a giant Lobster Festival sand sculpture contest – one of the biggest in the Southeast, with some of the best sand artists in the country, as well as enthusiastic amateurs competing for cash and prizes.
Schedule
Thursday
Sand Sculptor begins on the beach-Sand Odyssey
11am – 10pm Lobster specials all day till close
5pm – 8pm Boukou Groove on the Beach Stage
5pm – Silent Auction begins on the Beach
6pm – VIP/Sponsor and Media Beach Party
8pm – Silent Auction ends, Money Collected, Auction items given out from Beach Stage
8:30pm-Midnight – LONG REEF on the Main Stage
10pm – Nightly Raffle Drawing for $500
Friday
11am – 10pm Lobster specials all day till close
5pm – Diver registration
6pm – Diver Safety meeting
4:30pm – 8:30pm DEREK GIVANS on the Beach Stage
9pm-1am – LONG REEF on the Main Stage
10pm – Nightly Raffle Drawing for $500
Saturday
Dive Tournament begins
8:30am – Registration for Sandcastle & Sand Sculpting Contests begins
9:00am – Open division for advanced Sandcastle & Sand Sculpting starts
10 am – Sandcastle & Sand Sculpting Contest for all other divisions start (Youth, Teen, Adult, Family)
10am – Beach Stage goes live with music & games for families and children. DJ Surfer Mark Hosts.
11am – Lobster Mini Feast on the Beach begins
11am – 10pm Lobster specials on the menu all day till close
2pm – Sandcastle & Sand Sculpting competition ends – All divisions
2pm – 5pm STAINLESS STEEL on the Beach Stage
2:30pm – Sand Sculpting Awards Presentation on the Beach Stage
3pm – Weigh-Ins starts. Scales close at 6pm
5pm – Lobster Mini Feast Ends (Lobster Specials still available till close on the menu)
5-9pm – NOTHING SHORT OF PURE on the Beach Stage
9pm-1am – LONG REEF on the Main Stage
10pm – Nightly Raffle Drawing for $500
Sunday
11am – Beach Stage goes live with music & games for families and children
11am – 6pm – Lobster FEAST Buffet on the Beach & Beach Party
11am – till – Lobster specials on the menu all day till close
12pm-3pm – Weigh-Ins, SCALES CLOSE at 3pm
4pm – Lobster Auction, Diver Awards & Door Prize Raffle on the Main Stage
5pm-7:30pm – SAUCE BOSS on the Beach Stage
8pm – GRAND PRIZE DRAWING
8:30-11:30pm – HERITAGE on the Beach Stage
For more info on Lobster Fest, visit their website.
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