The whole community is invited to participate in the activities and events throughout the four-day long celebration of lobster mini-season. Festivities include a Bug Hunting Seminar and Kickoff Party, the Great Florida Bug Hunt, the Lobster chef competition, and a benefit concert supporting “Scuba for Good,” a non-profit that teaches people with disabilities how to dive.
Broward County allows night diving, shore diving, and boat diving for Florida spiny lobsters, and divers can take home up to 12 bugs per day. With the support from Scuba for Good and Gold Coast Scuba, boat dives for adaptive divers are also available.
The full schedule of events is as follows:
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
• 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Bug Hunting Seminar at The Plunge Beach Resort
• 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Mini-season Kickoff Party at The Plunge Beach Resort with music by Scuba Cowboy and hosted by Scuba Radio & Gold Coast Scuba.
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
• 12:01 a.m. – Great Florida Bug Hunt Contest Starts
• 12:20 a.m. – 2 a.m. Weigh-in Starts at El Prado Park
• 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Weigh-in at El Prado Park
• 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Weigh-in at Sands Harbor Beach Hotel in Pompano Beach
• 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. – Lobster Chef Competition
• 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Great Florida Bug Hunt Contest Awards and Raffle
Friday, July 29, 2022
• 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. – Dance in the sand and donate to the cause during the “Scuba 4 Good” Benefit Concert at Plunge Beach Resort
To participate in the Great Florida Bug Hunt, you must register by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. Registration is $30, and available online or in-person at Gold Coast Scuba (259 Commercial Blvd Suite 2, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea). All other BugFest events are free.
BugFest coincides with Florida’s lobster sport season, which begins the last Wednesday of July and ends at midnight on Thursday. The 2022 regular season begins at 12:01 a.m. August 6, 2022, and ends at midnight March 31, 2023.
For more information or to register, call the Town’s Visitor Center at (800) 921-2319 or visit https://bit.ly/BugFest2022
