Last weekend, Amelia Island, also known as the Isle of Eight Flags, held its 60th annual shrimp festival. Amelia Island was named after Princess Amelia, the second daughter of England’s King George II back in 1735, and the name stuck despite many ownership changes. The island’s eight flags include French, Spanish, English, Patriot, Green Cross of Florida, Mexican Rebel, Confederate, and the USA.
Every year, during the first weekend in May, the island hosts a shrimp festival started back in 1964 by local shrimpers. Fisherman here pioneered innovative techniques that built Florida’s commercial shrimping industry.
Besides eating local shrimp, which is still available, you won’t go hungry. The number of shrimp boats has declined over the decades, so why not pay a few dollars more to support them. The shrimp festival includes shopping, music, contests, and more. This is my third year on the island, and it’s a must for the first weekend in May.
The festival begins on Thursday night with a parade down Centre Street followed by the monthly Sounds of Centre street concert with a dance floor up front. Did I mention all the pirates? They seem to start at a young age here.
A variety of contests, including best pirate costume and fastest ice cream eater by age group, take place over the weekend. Here’s a view of our Miss Shrimp Festival Queen for 2025 urging them on. Centre Street has three ice cream shops which are all a bit different and taste great.
And the traditional shrimp boat race takes place! It’s a BYOB (boat). The shrimp boats also have a costume competition.
But it looks like a pirate ship snuck in.
Did the mermaids attract them? Sounds like this one may be intent on revenge.
Peg Leg the pirate looks worried and ain’t saying anything for obvious reasons. Maybe there’s a problem with the mermaid, literally across the tracks.
Did I mention shopping? Not just on Centre Street. Vendor booths spill over onto the side streets. Many artists from surrounding areas bring their unique hand-crafted works of art to add beauty to your home.
I’m not sure if anyone sells shrimp plants, but someone should. They are easy to grow in sun/shade if you live in Zone 9-11, and pollinators love them! Benches spread around town make a great spot for slowly savoring an ice cream.
My favorite part of the shrimp festival is the live music. I added a couple of short clips from two bands to my YouTube channel to convince you. YouTube Link The bands play next to waterfront and harbor with free seating provided on a first come basis and it fills up.
A local favorite and fantastic band, the Honey Badgers, call Amelia Island their home. They play an amazing variety of 70s and 80s hits. The YouTube link above includes their version of American Girl. Tom Petty would be thrilled!
The Swingin’ Medallions from South Carolina put on quite a show with dance movies choreographed to their music. This happens while they play, and they even flip their sax player upside down and swing him! I merged some short clips of songs into one music video for the YouTube link above.
The band tours around SC and other states, and I hope to make another concert. They have set a record for performances at the Shrimp Festival so fingers crossed they return in 2026. See their website for upcoming concerts. https://swinginmedallions.com
If you’ve read or heard of John Grisham’s three novels set on Camino Island, I can let you in on a little secret. Locals know this already, but he is really talking about Amelia Island. Of course, there are facts and lots of fiction in novels to create a dramatic page-turner. Link to Camino Island Series
I haven’t seen him at a Shrimp Festival since he’s probably home writing his next mega bestseller. But this event would make a great setting for a novel. A time traveling pirate, trapped on the island, could be the perfect villain or hero. Here’s a link to all three of his books featuring Camino-Amelia Island.
A little free library, right outside the old train station and now a tourist office, is a great place to swap books. Don’t let the pirate or Peg Leg nearby scare you off! Books bring knowledge and that leads to power. Or maybe some great ideas for your own stories!
If you are up for something different, look at my books. They aren’t legal thrillers like Grisham, or set on Amelia Island aka Camino Island. But I just moved here and have some ideas for later. All three novels, through a weird plot twist or via my muse, include ships or yachts. But I failed to include shrimp and will squeeze one into another story! My ebooks are free right now if you are in Kindle Unlimited. If not, they are priced to sell, and paperbacks are available too. Link to my latest: Project Onion
Hope to see you at the next Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival in May of 2026. I plan to post some more photo-blogs on Amelia Island. This small 18-square-mile island is loaded with history and charm. If you’d like an occasional email reminder, sign up on my website.
Keep reading, dreaming, and writing, Karen Stensgaard
KAREN STENSGAARD 