GULF SHORES – The 51^st Annual Shrimp Festival started off on Thursday, Oct. 10, with non-stop live music and close to 300 vendors providing just about everything including food, clothing, art, interactive games and artisanal crafts.

Rob and Ginny Barnas, co-chairs of the festival this year, said there was a headcount of around 300,000 visitors the last time it was taken at Shrimp Fest in 2014. They both expect to see more visitors this year due to the evacuation from Hurricane Milton.

Ginny Barnas said that she’s glad hurricane evacuees can receive “a bonus” by coming to Gulf Shores during this time and that “we can sympathize” with those who have been affected by hurricanes.

“We care about the community and want to give back,” Ginny Barnas said.

There will be an official headcount this year by YellowHammer IT. An unofficial headcount can be found in the center of the festival site where attendees can add push pins to a map of the United States to show where they’re coming from.

“We had over 600 pushpins used on the first day,” Ginny Barnas said. “So, we’re going to get some more push pins!”

Both Barnas’ were insistent that the festival could not be held without the volunteers that come together to create what Rob calls a “well-run machine.”

“We have an amazing committee of volunteers that work year-round to put this festival on,” Ginny Barnas said, “We have over 600 volunteers.”

Volunteers are still needed for the remaining days of the festival, which wraps up on Sunday. Those who would like to volunteer can still sign up on the festival’s official website at myshrimpfest.com/volunteer. All volunteers will receive a Shrimp Festival poster t-shirt and two free drinks tickets to be redeemed post-shift.