How to Do the Belmar Seafood Fest Without the Madness

If you found the NJ Seafood Festival in Belmar to be hot, crowded, full of lines, with no parking or tables available, try it this way next time!

I spent many years living in Belmar and my boys were raised going to the Seafood Festival every year. Each time we would come up with another tip to make it a more enjoyable experience. Here's what we did this year:

First of all, we checked the forecast and, knowing that there is precious little shade at the Seafood Festival, we chose the day that looked like it would be the least hot and humid -- in this case, Sunday.

We arrived at 8 am, three full hours before the fest got underway, bringing with us our coffee and a light breakfast, and easily found free parking on 5th Avenue next to the festival.

We then chose the perfect table for us near the lake and the gazebo so that we'd be able to watch and hear the band clearly. We leisurely enjoyed our breakfast while watching all the restaurants setting up for the day.

We had the most challenging parts taken care of without a hitch: free, easy parking, and a table and chairs. That's what most everyone complains about!

We brought a large beach towel to place over the table, the proper utensils for taking apart a lobster and crab legs: nutcracker, picks, even scissors, and real forks. (All you will get when you purchase your seafood is a plastic fork -- and it's really hard to get all the meat out of a hard shell without ripping your fingers to shreds without the proper utensils!).

We also brought a giant baggie full of wet wash clothes for cleaning up our hands after taking apart the lobsters and crab lets, dry washclothes to further clean our hands instead of flimsy napkins, water bottles, and the other stuff you need for a day outside: wide-brimmed hats for shade, sunscreen, bug spray (between the gnats coming off the lake and the greenheads, it's a plus to be prepared), a good book to read while laying in the sun waiting for the festival to open, and a backpack to hold all of these supplies.

Not only did we enjoy laying out in the sun on a beautiful day as the festival setup unfolded, but we were first in line for fresh lobster, snow crab legs, coconut shrimp, boiled shrimp, calamari, stuffed clams, friend oreos, ice cold root beer, fresh lemonade, and any of the other foods, drinks, and desserts that were there for your pleasure.

The band we saw was fantastic -- which is why we prefer to be there on Sunday at noon each year for their performance. It's the Manasquan High School Jazz Band under the leadership of the great Alan Abraham.

By 1:30 pm we were ready to head home. By that time the lines were long for food, and people were desperate for tables, chairs, and parking spots.

Driving up Fifth Ave to Main Street, I could already tell that Belmar was more crowded than I had ever seen it. Residents were using cones to try and block off their own driveways for fear of strangers desperate enough for parking to block them in.

On Main Street out-of-towners were blocking every intersection as they tried to get ahead of the next car to search for a parking spot all the way up on Main, and by the time I got up to Rt. 35 to head south, there was already a back up all the way down rt. 35 and over the bridge all the way up 138! I couldn't believe how many people were trying to get into Belmar so late in the afternoon. Doesn't anyone get an early start anymore?

I realize that tourists pour in from North Jersey, NY, and PA, but that is even more reason that, as a local, I highly suggest taking advantage of being close enough to arrive and leave early and not deal with all of the madness!