Beautiful century old oaks, the scenic waters of the Mississippi Sound, shrimp boats, and a fishing village charm will welcome you to our city to share in the commemoration of our fishing industry in Bayou La Batre, the Seafood Capital of Alabama. The Fleet Blessing is a celebration of life along the working waterfront of Bayou La Batre and a remembrance of those from the small fishing community that have perished at sea. The highlighted activity of the event is the decorated boat parade and Archbishop’s Blessing of the Fleet held at the dock of St. Margaret's Catholic Church on Sunday afternoon. Throughout the weekend, festival-goers can enjoy an arts and crafts festival, a working water front exhibit, a gumbo cook-off,  boat parade, a land parade, various raffles and children’s activities. Great food is always available, including seafood dishes featuring fresh Gulf shrimp, crab and oysters as well as fish, Vietnamese Cuisine, hamburgers, hot dogs, and more. If you would like to participate in the arts and crafts festival, the gumbo cook-off, the land parade, or in other ways, registration forms and additional information can be found on our website. The event is held each year on the first weekend of May.