Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival

 In 1981 the first event drew 500 people to this small fishing village on Florida’s central west coast. They gathered to celebrate Florida’s commercial seafood industry – its past, its present and its future. Since then the festival has grown from a one day event to two days with an average attendance of over 25,000. Considering that the entire village is less than 10 blocks, that’s a lot of visitors for the community.

 

The Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival is organized entirely by a volunteer committee of the Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage (F.I.S.H.), a Florida not-for-profit corporation.