Key West Lobsterfest is back. After getting cancelled last year, the festival returns August 5 to 9, 2026, which means five days of spiny lobster cooked every way this island can think of and a street fair that shuts down the lower blocks of Duval.
Florida Lobster Is Not the Lobster You’re Picturing
If you’re imagining a Maine lobster with claws, adjust. Florida spiny lobster is a warm-water species with no claws at all. The tail is the entire point, which is why everything at the festival is tails, rolls, and tail meat; nobody is cracking claws on Duval.
The timing isn’t random either. Regular spiny lobster season opens August 6 and runs through March 31, and the two-day sport season for recreational divers lands July 29 and 30 this year. The festival sits on August 5 to 9 because that’s the week the fresh local catch starts coming in.
Key West Lobsterfest 2026 Schedule
| Day | What | Where / When |
|---|---|---|
| Wed Aug 5 | Kickoff party (lobster pizza, drink specials); Lobsterfest Trivia (ticketed, includes lobster roll and drink) | Rick’s & Durty Harry’s, 202 Duval, 7–9 PM, free; Southernmost Beach Resort, 1319 Duval, 7 PM, $50 |
| Thu Aug 6 | The Original Lobster Boil (ticketed, sells out); Flight of the Flamingos, the Richard Blais dinner (ticketed) | Porter Mansion courtyard, 429 Caroline, 6–9 PM; Four Flamingos, 601 Front St, 5–9 PM |
| Fri Aug 7 | Free pool parties; Lobsterfest dinner at the Key West Cooking Show (ticketed); the Duval pub crawl with post-crawl party at Rick’s | Hyatt Centric 1–4 PM, Marker 3–6 PM; dinner seatings 5:30 & 7:30 PM; crawl 8 PM–midnight, $25 adv / $30 door |
| Sat Aug 8 | The Street Fair (the main event); Dante’s pool party | Duval, 100–500 blocks, noon–11 PM, free; Dante’s 1–4 PM |
| Sun Aug 9 | Artisan market, Beats and Brunch, closing pool party | Southernmost lot 10 AM–2 PM; First Flight (ticketed, two seatings); Southernmost Beach Resort 1–4 PM |
The Street Fair
Saturday is the day that matters. Duval Street closes from the 100 to 500 blocks, noon to 11 PM, free admission. Local bars and restaurants set up booths serving Florida lobster, priced per item, alongside art and craft vendors and live music on the main stage.
The open question after a year off is whether the fair comes back more local than it left.
The Events, Day by Day
Everything outside the street fair, in order. The free stuff needs no planning; the ticketed events do, because the small ones sell out.
Kickoff Party: Wednesday, August 5
The festival opens at Rick’s and Durty Harry’s Entertainment Complex, 202 Duval, from 7 to 9 PM. Live music, lobster pizza, and drink specials. Free admission. Note the timing against the trivia night below; both start at 7, so you’re picking one. I’m not too much into trivia, so I’d be at Rick’s.
Lobsterfest Trivia at Southernmost Beach Resort: Wednesday, August 5
Pub-style trivia with a lobster twist at the Southernmost Beach Resort, 1319 Duval Street, starting 7 PM sharp. It’s $50 per person and comes with a lobster roll and a drink. Reservations are required; tickets are at KeysTix.com.
Lobster Boil at the Porter Mansion: Thursday, August 6
The official kickoff meal, held in the courtyard of the Porter Mansion at 429 Caroline Street, 6 to 9 PM. The menu is a traditional boil: fresh Florida spiny lobster, jumbo Key West shrimp, red skin potatoes, corn, and jalapeño cornbread, with live music and a full bar. Tickets go on sale August 1, and this one sells out; seating in the mansion courtyard is limited.
Flight of the Flamingos: The Richard Blais Dinner, Thursday, August 6
Four Flamingos at the Hyatt Centric (601 Front Street) hosts Flight of the Flamingos, a four-course dinner for the opening night of lobster season, starting at 5 PM, with the last reservation at 8:45.
The billing is “Three Chefs, Two Destinations, One Flock,” which translates to celebrity chef Richard Blais in the kitchen, in person, alongside executive chefs Leo Minelli and Josue Perez, with every course offering a dish from each Four Flamingos kitchen, Key West and Orlando.
You pick a part of the state at every course.
The amuse bouche is Key West’s short rib croqueta with Argentinian chimichurri or Orlando’s passion fruit tuna ceviche.
The appetizer is a yellowfin tuna tostada with mango yolk or crispy pork belly in a pineapple rum glaze.
Both entrees come with spiny lobster tail: Key West pairs it with black grouper, garlic drawn butter, and coconut rice; Orlando pairs it with a center-cut filet, Florida gouda mash, and sauce au poivre.
Dessert is the Key lime pie with flambeed meringue or a coconut panna cotta with mango tartare.
It’s $110 per person plus tax and gratuity, and reservations are required.
What are you choosing? I’d lean toward ceviche, pork belly, and lobster with grouper. Dessert would be a last-second decision. However, I am a meringue fan.
Lobsterfest Dinner at the Key West Cooking Show: Friday, August 7
The Key West Cooking Show (291 Front Street, upstairs) runs a special edition of its dinner show for Lobsterfest, with seatings at 5:30 and 7:30 PM and executive chef Keith St. Peter cooking alongside the house storyteller.
The format, if you haven’t been: dinner as demonstration, where the menu is cooked in front of you while you work on the house-made sangria, and then you eat what you watched.
Friday’s menu runs plantain chips, lobster bisque, lobster enchilados over white rice, and guava bread pudding, at $85 per person plus taxes and fees.
The enchilado is the most on-theme ticket of the entire week; the first Lobsterfest started as a cook-off between two friends over who made the best lobster chilau.
Details and booking here or call (305) 294-2665.
Duval Pub Crawl: Friday, August 7
8 PM to midnight, $25 in advance or $30 at the door. The ticket includes the official Lobsterfest T-shirt, a souvenir lanyard, and 2-for-1 drink specials at participating bars.
Check-in and shirt pickup run 3 to 7:30 PM at the Marker pool bar (200 William Street); online sales end at noon on crawl day, and nothing ships, so pick up in person.
The crawl ends where the festival begins: a post-crawl party at Rick’s from midnight, with Sun Cruiser swag bags for the first 200 finishers.
Pool Parties: Friday Through Sunday
All free admission, all with lobster food and drink specials: the Hyatt Centric (601 Front Street) Friday 1 to 4 PM, The Marker (200 William Street) Friday 3 to 6 PM, Dante’s (955 Caroline Street) Saturday 1 to 4 PM, and the Southernmost Beach Resort (1319 Duval) Sunday 1 to 4 PM.
The Flamingos pool party at the Hyatt will have a tropical lobster salad (by the Key West restaurant) and a lobster roll (from the Orlando site). Each option is $15.
The Southernmost party adds a lobster roll-eating contest at 2 PM; $30 to enter; winner gets a lobster dinner for two at the cafe.
Beats and Brunch at First Flight: Sunday, August 9
The closing event, in the garden at First Flight Island Restaurant and Brewery (301 Whitehead Street).
Two two-hour seatings, 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM, at $99 per person plus tax and gratuity: unlimited small plates and chef stations, bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys, and a live DJ.
Lobsterfest Menus Around Town
Beyond the ticketed events, a few restaurants run lobster menus for the week itself.
Half Shell Raw Bar opens the season with a $17.99 broiled lobster tail special on Thursday, August 6, the first day of regular season, then runs daily lobster specials August 7 through 13. Dine-in only, while supplies last.
Southernmost Beach Cafe runs a Lobsterfest menu through the festival: lobster bisque, a lobster roll, lobster mac and cheese, baked lobster, and a Reef & Beef burger. No prices posted that I can see yet.
Where to Eat Lobster in Key West
The festival is five days, but the lobster is year-round. These are the places I actually order it, festival or not.
The Lobster Shack: The Key West Lobster Roll. Need I say more? Lobster meat served hot with butter and a hint of fresh key lime juice.
DJ’s Clam Shack: They do it both ways: hot with butter, cold with mayo. I usually get the hot preparation, which is Connecticut style. I am not a big fan of mayo and believe as little as possible should be used.
Boathouse: Lobster Tail Tempura. Food on a stick is always a good thing. Get it half off at one of the more popular happy hours on the island.
Seaside Cafe: One of the most famous pizzas in Key West. The Lobster Bianca. I love it.
Hogfish Bar & Grill: These lobster tacos come lightly fried, grilled, or blackened. I am always changing it up. Try to get the sauce on the side.
Bagatelle: Last year I went to First Flight to grab an advertised Honey Tempura Lobster Tail. To my dismay, they were sold out or not making it until later. They told me to go over to Bagatelle, who happened to have it on their beats & brunch menu. Crisis averted. Again, food on a stick, fried golden brown with a honey butter drizzle.
Duffy’s Steak & Lobster House: The Prime Rib and Surf is my go-to. I go here quite a bit so I get my fill during the year.
Mini Season, the Week Before
Sport season (mini season) runs July 29 and 30, the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, when recreational divers get two days at the lobster before the commercial season opens.
The bag limit is 6 per person per day in Monroe County, and one rule most visitors don’t know: divers have to land their lobster whole, because separating the tail from the body in state waters is illegal.
Where to Stay for Lobsterfest
Key West Lobsterfest happens on and around lower Duval, so Old Town wins the weekend; anything else means a walk, bike ride, a cab or Uber, or hotel shuttle both ways. Check rates for the Lobsterfest weekend
Quick Answers
When is Key West Lobsterfest 2026?
August 5 to 9, 2026. The street fair on Duval Street is Saturday, August 8, noon to 11 PM, and it is free to attend.
Is Lobsterfest happening this year?
Yes. Key West Lobsterfest was cancelled in 2025 and is back for 2026.
How much does Lobsterfest cost?
The street fair, kickoff party, and pool parties are free; at the fair, you pay per plate and drink.
The ticketed events: the pub crawl is $25 in advance or $30 at the door, trivia at the Southernmost Beach Resort is $50 per person including a lobster roll and a drink, the Richard Blais dinner at Four Flamingos is $110 per person plus tax and gratuity, the Cooking Show’s Lobsterfest dinner is $85 per person plus taxes and fees, and Beats and Brunch at First Flight is $99 per person plus tax and gratuity.
Lobster Boil tickets go on sale on August 1 and have historically sold out.
Eating your way through the rest of the summer? The current deals are in Summer Dining Specials, the standing ones are in the Happy Hour Guide, and everything between meals is in Things to Do in Key West.