Sarasota Bay Seafood & Music Festival fills ears and stomachs

Lisa Mullins had just moved from Massachusetts to Sarasota, and was pleased with her first weekend out, which she spent at the Sarasota Bay Seafood & Music Festival.

“This is awesome…” she said. “This is like a last-minute thing, and it’s the best thing ever — all the music, the seafood, the people, it’s great.”

Mullins, who grew up in Venice, returns to the area after 35 years, and enjoyed the festival alongside her sister Linda Mullins, who lives locally, and her other sister Lindsey Mullins, who visited from Canada. 

The festival, held Jan. 10-12, featured fresh seafood, from a cajun broil to a crispy grouper sandwich, live music by bands such as the Kara Nally Band, Kettle of Fish, Dirty Byrd and many others, and a vendor marketplace with crafts, jewelry and more.

Held at the Sarasota Fairgrounds for the first time, the event offered a larger space than it had in its former location of J.D. Hamel Park. 

Mullins noting the weather wasn't too hot that Saturday, called the event “an awesome thing for the community."