MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — The 44th Annual Seafood Festival at John's Pass is bringing much-needed crowds to Madeira Beach this weekend, offering relief to local businesses still recovering from last year's devastating hurricane season.
A slower summer season can be attributed to damage from hurricanes Helene and Milton. But in years past, the three-day festival has brought in over 50,000 people in
"It was like a breath of fresh air. It was like, oh, people are out, look at the businesses," said Amber Simmons, general manager at Pirates Pub n Grub, a restaurant on John's Pass.
Simmons, who spoke about the challenges facing local businesses back in August, says the festival couldn't come at a better time.
"It's super important because after a year like we had, where there was nobody out and just everybody's struggling to get back to the normal and get in their house and all those things, it's nice on both sides," Simmons said.
Max Michalski, who is the program coordinator with the City of Madeira Beach, says the festival is even more important this year for
the community's recovery efforts.
"We're just trying to bring people into town, you know, a lot of our residents necessarily aren't back in their homes yet. A majority of the businesses have opened up down here in John's Pass, and we really just want to try to get people into these local businesses," Machalski said.
The festival features various food vendors, plus live music and entertainment along Village Avenue, and continues Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m., giving visitors another opportunity to support local businesses and experience the coastal community's recovery firsthand.
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