Imagine visiting over a dozen specialty restaurants in a single day. Riverwalk’s upcoming 4th Annual Stone Crab & Seafood Festival will offer just that all in one waterfront setting.

Expect tantalizing offerings such as Grille 401’s jumbo lump crab cakes and scallops, Shuck ‘n Dive’s shrimp remoulade and oysters, and Kelly’s Landings’ buttery New England “lobsta” rolls.

And of course, stone crabs.

“For me, it was great because it was a diverse crowd with older and younger people,” said Stacey Wall of Fort Lauderdale who attended the festival last year. “It’s a family-friendly event for the whole community. And, of course, the food is fantastic.”

The festival takes place Saturday, Jan. 17, at Esplanade Park in downtown Fort Lauderdale along the New River. It seems to grow in size every year, thanks to what attendees call great food and drinks. Deejay Two Story Lori will spin tunes, while kids can enjoy games and activities like a popular hermit crab race.

A little over 2,000 people attended the festival last year, and more is expected this year, according to Cristina Hudson, Riverwalk events manager.

Jessica Chandler, director of events for sponsor Grille 401, echoes the sentiment. “Last year’s event was wonderful. We had a great turnout and it was better than expected. The festival brings people downtown and helps all the downtown businesses.”

Bimini Boatyard is coming back for a second year. General manager Jeff Hallick expects to sell between 300 and 400 pounds of stone crabs.

He describes this year’s stone crab season as “so far, so good. “The medium size is very abundant. We have no problem getting any amounts.”

The upcoming event is more a publicity builder than moneymaker for the 25-year old restaurant, Hallick says. “We try to do personal conversations with the people
who come,” he said.

Some of those conversations might be about sustainability and the challenges the local seafood industry is now facing.

“There’s a big push for in the state and questions about how much local product is sent to Japan and China,” says Hallick. “Then there is the problem of illegal fishing and such demand that people are selling tripletail as grouper. There isn’t enough exploration done about farm-raising tilapia, salmon and shrimp. There is a lot more opportunity to freshwater farm. The demand is just getting higher and higher.”

Kelly’s Landing plans to sell stone crab stew, New England clam chowder and fish sandwiches at the festival. To accommodate families, Kelly’s is offering an area where kids can engage in seafood-related fun activities.

“The stone crabs have been great this year,” says owner Debbie Skinner, who sees the event as a chance to make money and promote the restaurant.

“People love it because it’s a great time of year and all the local seafood is very fresh. Most of the vendors run out of food, ” she said.

Competition doesn’t bother Chef Staz, owner of New Orleans’ style Shuck’n’Dive, who didn’t want his first name used. “Competition makes everyone better,” he says.

At last year’s festival, Staz said he ran out of stone crabs.

He likes the fact that only local vendors participate in the festival, which keeps out what he calls “gypsy vendors” who peddle the same generic corn dogs, funnel cakes, and sausage and onions found at every other street event.

Though each participating restaurant keeps their own income from the event, they pay vendor fees to the Riverwalk Trust, a charity put in place by the city of Fort Lauderdale 25 years ago. The trust oversees the 2-and-a-half mile public area of the park as well as the river.

To get the word out about his participating food truck, Nacho Bizness, owner Aaron Beyers, sees a chance to do some advertising. Mostly, he contacts customers through social media. In late December he was still considering what to serve, mentioning possibilities such as grilled shrimp, tuna, and probably lobster.

What if it rains on festival day? No problem. Just bring a raincoat and a hat and enjoy the event, which is free. Cancellation or postponement isn’t an option.