CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — Officials are expecting thousands of people to show up this weekend for the 36th annual Manatee Festival.

What You Need To Know

  •  The 36th annual Manatee Festival kicks off this weekend in Crystal River

  •  There will be more than 400 vendors and thousands of people are expected to attend

  •  The festival comes as manatees in Florida continue to deal with a lack of seagrass and chronic starvation

There will be more than 400 vendors set up in the downtown area celebrating arts, crafts and of course the sea cows that the town is known for.

Jamie Reeves says she might enjoy cleaning up her artwork as much as she enjoys displaying it.

“It’s kind of satisfying to watch it peel up, isn’t it?” Reeves asks as she scrapes off her window artwork.

She’s cleaning her festive holiday artwork on the windows of her shop, Anchored Souls, to prepare for one of the biggest weekends in Crystal River.

“It is a big weekend — we look forward to it,” Reeves said.

Her shop is right on the main drag in Crystal River and being a local art and home décor store, Reeves says the Manatee Festival is a huge deal.

“We just try to make, make, make as much as possible so we can get ready,” she said.

Which is why she’s cleaning her windows and sprucing up the outside of Anchored Souls.

The Manatee Festival brings in people from around Florida to Citrus County to check out art at places like Reeves' store while also hoping to catch a glimpse of the sea cows that put this community on the map.

“It is grown and it’s incredible,” said Jade White, who works for the Citrus County Chamber of Commerce.

She’s helping coordinate some of the finishing touches around town before the streets are blocked off and the festival begins.

“We’ve got artists, crafters, our business market place, nonprofit — there’s a lot for everybody to get engaged and get involved in,” White said.

But even with all the excitement, the stars of the festival are in a bit of a scary situation.

Earlier this week, Florida wildlife officials said chronic starvation caused by water pollution that has decimated seagrass in Manatee feeding grounds remains a major concern for the population in the state.

While the death toll dropped in 2022 compared to the previous year, officials say the long-term key to manatee survival is restoration of things like beds of seagrass.

White says that’s why organizers are glad to have Save Crystal River — which is working to restore things like seagrass and eelgrass in nearby King’s Bay — as a part of the festival.

“They've been doing it for several years,” White said. “They're almost completed with this phase to help to make sure that they are fed and they're happy and healthy here on the nature coast.”

She said the hope is festivities like the Manatee Festival will get to continue with its namesake thriving in Citrus County.

The festival begins Saturday morning at 9 a.m. and costs $5 for adults to get in and is free for kids 12 and under.