The 53rd Annual National Shrimp Festival has been canceled as Tropical Storm Isaias threatens the northern Gulf Coast with high winds, heavy surf, rain and other potentially dangerous conditions.
The Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, which presents the festival, announced the cancellation Wednesday morning after organizers met with City of Gulf Shores Emergency Management officials and reviewed the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center.
“I met early this morning with the City of Gulf Shores Emergency Management officials,” Coastal Alabama Business Chamber President Greg Alexander said in the release. “We made every attempt to conduct the festival this year, but due to the projection of high winds, heavy surf and rain over the weekend, it really left us no choice but to cancel this year’s event," Alexander said.
Alexander said the decision was solidified by changes in the forecast overnight.
“We said yesterday that we would wait until today’s forecasts and predictions were in to make a final decision. After the 4 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, it left us no choice but to cancel the event,” Alexander said.
Baldwin County officials also issued a weather update Wednesday outlining the potential impacts of Isaias. Forecasters expected the storm to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall along the northern Gulf Coast, with increasing confidence of major impacts to coastal Alabama and northwest Florida.
Tropical storm-force winds could arrive as early as Friday morning or afternoon, with the most likely onset Friday evening. Hurricane and storm surge watches were expected to be issued later Wednesday.
Major concerns include high winds, high surf, rip currents, storm surge, flash flooding and tornadoes. Heavy rainfall also remains a concern, particularly following flooding in the area last weekend.
The cancellation came one day after festival organizers said the event was still scheduled to proceed and that they were closely monitoring weather conditions. In a Tuesday Facebook post, organizers said there were no plans at that time to cancel the festival and that any changes would be communicated through the festival’s official website and social media channels.
The City of Gulf Shores confirmed the cancellation after Gulf Coast Media began receiving reports of the decision Wednesday morning.
“Yes indeed that is confirmed,” Ryan Moberly, communications director for the city, said in an email to GCM. “We notified vendors first, so I imagine that’s how word got out.”
The announcement said festival organizers had made every effort to move forward with the festival but that the forecast of high winds, heavy surf and rain throughout the weekend made safety the top priority.
“We were really looking forward to a great weekend with shrimp, music, hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors,” Shrimp Festival Chairman Rob Barnas said. “But with Isaias predicted to make landfall in our immediate area, the safety of each of these volunteers, visitors and vendors was our top priority.”
The National Shrimp Festival is one of Gulf Shores' largest annual events, bringing hundreds of vendors and thousands of visitors to the city. This year's cancellation marks the third time in recent years the festival has been called off.
The event was canceled in 2021 because of health risks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also canceled in 2020 for the same reason.
Organizers said additional information will be posted on the festival's social media pages and at www.myshrimpfest.com.
For more information on storm preparedness, visit https://tinyurl.com/2ffb4jn5 to read the e-edition of Stay Alert Baldwin County, a publication of Gulf Coast Media produced in partnership with Baldwin County Emergency Management.
