Apalachicola

Annual events occur each season in Apalachicola.  Spring starts with the Antique and Classic Boat Show held each year on Water Street along the historic wharf.  The Historic Apalachicola Home and Garden Tour takes place the first Saturday in May and includes historic homes, commercial buildings, churches and marvelous gardens.  The great Plein Air Paint-out, in mid-May, is a 10-day open air painting event featuring national artists capturing our history and natural beauty.

Summer follows with the Independence Day Parade and Ice Cream Social, a classic small-town parade. The August and September events celebrate our important natural environment with the Wild & Scenic Film Festival and National Estuaries Day.

Most well known is the Annual Florida Seafood Festival, the first weekend in November.  Almost 50 years old, it includes a fleet blessing, an oyster king and queen, seafood, crafts, music and children’s amusements.  This event is now prefaced by the Downtown Oyster Roast, a gastronomical outdoor delight.

The weekend following Thanksgiving, the city is adorned with lights, banners and greens as a backdrop for the Annual Christmas Celebration.  Santa arrives by shrimp boat, then disembarks to hear children’s wish lists.  Carolers entertain, and merchants’ shops remain open.

As the year turns, Black History Month in February is celebrated with the H'Cola African-American History Festival.  This growing event celebrates the nation's historic African Americans with schoolchildren's presentations, superb gospel-style singing, fresh seafood and traditional barbecue.