If there were any doubts about the anticipation level for the return of the National Shrimp Festival to Gulf Shores, they vanished Thursday morning.

“We opened at 10,” said Andrew Hart, chair of the committee that organizes the event under the auspices of the Coastal Business Chamber. “At 9 a.m. people were here, ready to go. We’re thrilled with the turnout.”

Longtime vendor Tara Gifford, selling custom jewelry in her “Blue Girl” booth, affirmed that. “I had excellent sales before it even opened,” she said. “I’ve got another show next weekend and I don’t know if I’m going to have anything left for it.”

One of Gulf Shores’ biggest annual events, the festival wasn’t held in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That meant its annual influx of browsers – an estimated 250,000 people in a good year – didn’t happen. For local vendors such as Gifford, that was a setback.

“It’s a huge part of our livelihood,” said Gifford, who said this was her 18th Shrimp Fest.

“We really missed it,” said Willis Cobb, an Evergreen-based food vendor, as he scooped rainbow-colored popcorn into bags for waiting customers. “We meet so many different friendly people here.”

The festival runs through Sunday. If its first couple of hours were any indication, it’s going to be a busy weekend: By noon the walkways were full of browsers and lines were forming at many of the concession booths.

Food is a big part of the festival, as its name might lead one to believe. Vendors offer everything from corn dogs and other carnival fare to full-blown seafood platters. Several vendors were offering “shark on a stick,” one-upping the more familiar gator on a stick. A Rouses Markets stand serving up boiled shrimp seemed to be an especially strong draw.

Another point of interest was the festival’s new bicycle valet service, which offers free valet parking to anyone who pedals up to the main entrance. Plenty of cyclists were taking advantage of the new feature. Steve Jones, a Gulf Shores councilman who also is the Coastal Business Chamber’s vice president for events, said it was a big change. “In years past, people would bring bikes down here and all we could tell them was, ‘You can’t bring that in here,’” he said.

Jones said the festival’s return “means north of a $50 million economic impact.” But it goes beyond that, he said. It takes a corps of 600 to 700 volunteers to put it on, so there’s deep community involvement.

“It means more to the community than it does to the city,” he said. “It’s their festival.”

Festival hours are 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9. Admission is free. Full information can be found at www.myshrimpfest.com.

Parking is limited at the festival site, at the foot of Ala. 59. A shuttle service runs throughout the event, connecting to parking areas north, east and west of the site.

Full shuttle information can be found at www.myshrimpfest.com. Wristbands allowing unlimited rides are $5 and can be ordered in advance through the site. One catch is that children younger than 5 are not allowed on the shuttle buses; organizers say that is determined by state law. Stops include the Pelican Place shopping center, the Erie Meyer Civic Center and Waves Grocery in Gulf Shores; Lake Shelby in Gulf State Park; and The Wharf and Rouses Market in Orange Beach.

Detailed information, including the schedule of live entertainment at the festival also can be found using the Eventeny app.