Pigs, Oysters, and Fun at the 10th annual Hilton Head Island Seafood Festival

The festival gets bigger year after year.

What started out as the David M. Carmines Water Festival has grown in recent years to a fully-fledged weeklong seafood festival now known as theHilton Head Island Seafood Festival, run by local restauranteur and business man, Andrew Carmines. The festival returned to the island for its tenth year from February 20 to 26.

Carmines, owner of Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks and founder of the festival, told the Daily Meal that the event began originally as a memorial for his brother who had passed away. Today, it has morphed into a community celebration, carrying his brother’s spirit throughout all of its festivities.

“The festival started as a fundraiser. David, my brother, was an avid outdoorsman who lost a six-year fight with cancer. In its first year, it was held in the parking lot at Hudson's with a crowd of about 300 friends and relatives of David's,” he began.

“In 2006, we decided to revive the Seafood Fest, which was one of many events during Spring Fest, a month long celebration on the island. The goal was to hold an event that honored the rich seafood heritage and culture of the area.” Read on