Shark encounter exhibit being featured at Cocoa Beach Seafood & Music Festival

Event running Friday, Saturday, Sunday at Alan Shepard Park

COCOA BEACH, Fla. – The only traveling shark encounter expo in the country will be featured during the three-day Cocoa Beach Seafood & Music Festival happening Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Alan Shepard Park.

Sports talk show host Alan Zlotorzynski, with Space Coast Daily and 1560AM, went inside the tank Thursday to swim with the four nurse sharks.

The largest was 7 feet long.

"His mouth was open, and he was coming," Zlotorzynski told News 6 after going in the tank, briefly. "Believe me, I was as scared as it looked. The good news is I actually got out of the tank."

[WEB EXTRA: Florida seafood facts and statistics]

Zlotorzynski and 30,000 other guests are expected to enjoy everything happening Friday through Sunday including three free shark exhibit shows on Friday and four shows each day on Saturday and Sunday.

"It's going to be a beautiful beach weekend," said organizer Giles Malone, with Space Coast Daily and Brevard Productions. "Every type of seafood you could want is here."

Malone said there will also be live music on four stages.

COCOA BEACH SEAFOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL MUSICAL LINE-UP & SCHEDULE
• Friday, Feb. 24: Don McLean 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Feb. 25: Dirty Heads, plus guests Ballyhoo! and Funkle Fester, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Feb. 26: The Original Wailers, 3 p.m.

Concert ticket prices start at $25, which also includes Seafood Festival access; General admission Concert Weekend Passes are $69; Seafood Festival only tickets are $10 in advance; and Seafood Festival only Weekend Passes are $20 in advance.

Organizers are looking forward to great weather, too.

"We're hoping for a starry, starry night tomorrow night when he (McLean) plays, and apparently it will be," said Malone.

There will also be an International Beer and Wine Garden, featuring a wide variety of beers, wines and cocktails.

Gates open Friday night at 5, and the event runs all day Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.

Parking at the festival is listed below. Parking areas have been organized, along with free shuttle service.

PARKING LOT 1: Next to Sunrise Diner: Just 1/4 mile west of Shepard Park, along State Road 520, is a large parking area with free Park and Ride shuttle service running frequently to and from Shepard Park. Parking is $10 per car at this location, and the Park and Ride Shuttle service is free for people parking in that parking lot. Vistors will find this parking area next to Sunrise Diner, located at 365 West Cocoa Beach Causeway (State Road 520), Cocoa Beach, Florida.

PARKING LOT 2: Church of Our Savior, located at 5301 North Atlantic Avenue, Cocoa Beach, Florida, has a large parking area and is offering parking for $5, with a free Park and Ride Shuttle Service running continuously to and from Alan Shepard Park, where the seafood festival is located.

PARKING LOTS 3: Craig Technologies, located at 8550 Astronaut Blvd, Cape Canaveral, Florida, has a large parking area and is offering parking for $10 per car, with free park and ride shuttle service for people parking there.

PARKING LOT 4: The Radisson Resort At The Port, located at 8701 Astronaut Blvd., Cape Canaveral, Florida, has a large grass parking area just south of the hotel. Turn at West Central Boulevard and proceed west to the parking lot entrance. Parking is $10 at this location, and the free park and ride shuttle service will take visitors to and from Alan Shepard Park, where the festival is being held. The Radisson also offers excellent accommodations for those wishing to stay overnight.

PARKING LOT 5: Winn Dixie Shopping Center in Cocoa Beach, pictured above in dark green, is located at 100 Canaveral Plaza Boulevard in Cocoa Beach, Florida. This parking area is a short walk west of Shepard Park.


About the Author:

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.