Hampton Beach Seafood Festival

Hampton Beach Seafood Festival
September 5-7, 2008
http://www.hamptonbeachseafoodfestival.com/

I've attended the Hampton Beach Seafood Festval every year for the
past three years.  It's a really nice event.

Parking:
- I'm not sure if it's possible to park near the festival during the
busy times-- I've never tried it.  It always seemed to be not worth
it.  First, my suspicion is that there isn't much parking available
because of the crowds, though I'm not sure if that is actually true.
I note that the parking lot extends further north, so perhaps parking
is available.  Second, meter parking is expensive at Hampton Beach--
10 minutes for each quarter.  Make sure you have enough quarters with
you.  Third, traffic seems to be difficult and congested near the
festival, with lanes blocked off for shuttle buses.
- However, if I go late during the festival (Sunday afternoon at 3pm
or so) I will park near the festival.  There's usually plenty of
parking and not much traffic then.
- There is free parking and shuttle service at various satellite
parking lots.  My recommendation is to use this free parking, at least
the first time you visit.  Just follow the signs for parking as you
get close to Hampton Beach.  The free parking shuttles work well.  You
may want to tip the shuttle bus driver.

Food:
- I recommend checking out all the food stands before making a
decision about what to eat, to scope out who has the best food.
- You can take a look at the proposed food vendor menus and prices
online.  These are subject to change.  The vendors sometimes re-price
their food to match other vendors.
http://hamptonbeachseafoodfestival.com/pdf/newfinalcenterspread.pdf
- Towards the end of the day Sunday, many vendors will start marking
down food prices to get rid of their stock.  Prices will drop
significantly.  You can get some really good deals.  In the past, I've
gotten big plates of fried clams for $5 and skewers of grilled shrimp
for $1.  Nothing can match the joy of eating discounted seafood.  Last
year I left the festival with a big box of discounted, fried,
whole-belly clams in the car cupholder, eating clams all the way home.
- In the past, there's been a vendor selling boiled, whole lobster,
but I'm not sure if they're there this year.

Beverage:
- There's a beer tent in the center.  The brands served are
Anheuser-Busch and Red Hook. You need to show ID at the door to get an
over-21 wristband to be let in.
- There's live music inside the tent, making it a nice place to hang
out.  I usually end up spending most of my time there.  The guys
playing Sunday afternoon, Mike Moore & Steve Kelly, are really good, I
think.  They've played the festival every year for at least the past
three years.

Other:
- Admission to the festival is $5 for adults, free for children under 12.
- There are also arts and craft and other vendors at the festival.
Like the food, sometimes these vendors will drop their prices Sunday
afternoon as the festival winds down.
- The festival souvenir stand also lowers prices on souvenirs on
Sunday afternoon.
- Restrooms are located in the buildings in front of the stage.  There
are also portable restrooms set up behind the beer tent.
- The weather forecast for this weekend looks poor, with showers and
thunderstorms on Saturday and showers early on Sunday.  Sunday
afternoon may be clear.  If so, then I expect bigger crowds on Sunday
afternoon.  If attendance is down in general because of the weather, I
think that there is a greater likelihood that vendors will discount
prices on food on Sunday.