Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival

"Ton of fun. Live music. Local artists. Great food. Some complain that you have to pay to park but this is a big undertaking and it is a fundraiser for the area so deal with it. Shuttle buses were constant and even if you walked it was not a big deal. Food and drinks were not cheap but what is these days? It was quality LOCAL food! Tons of activities for kids as well. This years festival was our first and we are already looking forward to 2024! Got a couple of great pieces for our house from local artists. Great festival."

"I was excited to go to the festival as a tourist, especially for the food. I went early, at 11am, but the food area was so narrow, it was hard to move. The tickets, which you had to purchase in advance, were $1 per ticket, and most items were $10-$30 with everything. There was no easy place to sit and eat, either. The art was the highlight, but it, too, was crowded. It needs to be in a larger, more spacious vendor and tickets need to be eliminated."

"I share some of the same sentiments as others. You better get there early #1. Parking is very limited (although they do have bussing!) $5 for parking and $5 aperson to get in. You have to buy tickets to get food/drinks. Tickets are worth a buck a piece. Food is $20 -$25 or more possibly. That means you are carrying around a WAD of tickets. Food is expensive and portions arent the greatest at some vendors. We were there relatively early & went to eat about 1030-1100 am & the vendor we went to was already completely out of a bunch of their main food items! The art & crafts part of it was the best part as some of these people do beautiful work. I would say the food part, which should be the best part, was the most disappointing, due to mainly the cost for what you get. Its too bad. Another thing is they provably should provide some more tenting over sone tables...i saw one small one...because sitting in the boiling sun trying to enjoy a meal wasnt a lot of fun either."

"This was my fourth time attending the festival. I've gone mostly for the food and always to the same seafood vendor (at least to the same booth location). The portions were always generous, tasty, and a good value. However, this time (2 /19/22) was different. As usual, I got the Seafood Medley. It cost $25 (which BTW was not advertised). Within the rice and coleslaw there maybe was a TOTAL of 2 ounces of shrimp and fish! Very disappointed as this was just a fraction of the seafood I got in past years. This vendor should not be allowed next year! On the other hand, the raw oyster vendor had excellent oysters at a fair price. Likewise for the smoked mullet at another vendor. Overall, the festival is a great way to spend an afternoon but if you're going to spend a good $ for food, make sure you look at a customer's plate to actually see what the vendor will give you."

"As a local born and raised native this is a great event. Proceeds help a dying industry we are blessed to have . This supports not only local commercial fisherman and preservation of our waters and land but local artist and food trucks. Not sure on the guy who feels he wasted 40$.. guess it’s about him . There is bbq, seafood, fresh cut fries, deserts.. all local and fresh not fair food!!"