2023 Lionfish Festival in Destin is May 20-21

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Destin–Fort Walton Beach will celebrate the ninth annual Lionfish Festival May 20-21 (10 a.m.-5 p.m. CT) at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village in Destin. (Contributed)

OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — The 2023 Lionfish Festival is coming to Destin in May.

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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and Destin–Fort Walton Beach will celebrate the 2023 Lionfish Festival on May 20-21, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at AJ’s Seafood and Oyster Bar and HarborWalk Village in Destin.

This outdoor event is free, and open to the public. It will feature family-friendly activities, art, diving, and marine conservation booths, live music, fillet demonstrations, and the world’s largest lionfish tournament, the Emerald Coast Open.

Tournament Details

Are you a diver interested in registering for the world’s largest lionfish tournament? The Emerald Coast Open will run May 19-20 and include categories for most lionfish, largest lionfish, and smallest lionfish, with nearly $100,000 worth of prizes up for grabs! For official tournament rules and registration instructions, visit EmeraldCoastOpen.com.

Lionfish Restaurant Week

Sample lionfish at one of Destin–Fort Walton Beach’s featured restaurants during the Emerald Coast Open Lionfish Restaurant Week. Local chefs will highlight lionfish in unique dishes in the week leading up to the event to help bring awareness to the lionfish invasion in the Gulf of Mexico.

Schedule:

The Boathouse Landing, Valparaiso – May 12
The Harbor Tavern – May 13
Dewey Destin’s Harborside – May 14
Crab Trap Destin – May 15
La Paz – May 16
Harbor Docks – May 17
Brotula’s Seafood House & Steamer – May 18
AJ’s Seafood & Oyster Bar– May 20.

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What is LRAD?

To increase public awareness about the lionfish invasion and encourage removal efforts, the FWC signed a resolution creating Lionfish Removal and Awareness Day in February 2015. LRAD is celebrated the first Saturday after Mother’s Day each year.

Lionfish Challenge

The 2023 Lionfish Challenge is quickly approaching. This summer-long tournament is open to everyone and is completely free to enter. Participants in last year’s Challenge reached a significant milestone of over 1 million lionfish harvested from Florida waters since the program began in 2014.

Are you up for the Challenge? Visit FWCReefRangers.com to register for the Lionfish Challenge.