In Glades County, festival season takes off in January and lasts through April. Each community in the county contributes to festival season, offering unique opportunities to celebrate each experience making it a fun and exciting season!
Local Festivals
January
Buckhead Ridge's Catfish Festival
The Buckhead Ridge Volunteer Fire Department hosts the annual Catfish Festival the last Saturday in January in the Buckhead Ridge Community Park, behind the fire station at 30076 SR 78 E, Okeechobee, FL 34974. The event features live music, arts and crafts vendors, and their famous catfish. Admission is $7.
Sour Orange Festival
The Lakeport Community Association hosts the annual Sour Orange Festival and Rib Cook Off the third Saturday in January. Featuring live music, fun starts at 9 a.m. with the flag raising ceremony at the festival grounds at 1239 Red Barn Road in Lakeport. Lots of local crafts and food vendors plus Lakeport's famous Sour Orange pies and the Sour Orange bake-off.
February
Art in the Park
The Glades County Library Advisory Board and Friends of the Library host Art in the Park, the last Saturday in January from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Glades County Public Library, 201 Riverside Dr. Moore Haven, FL 33471 and Tom Perry Memorial Park in Moore Haven. The event includes an antique car show, food booths, live entertainment, and a non-juried art show. Admission is free.
Ortona Cane Grinding Festival
The annual Cane Grinding Festival returns to Ortona Indian Mound Park the first Saturday in February from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entertainment features bluegrass music, clogging and vendor booths. Watch sugar cane being ground, and cane syrup made the old-fashioned way. Admission is $9 at the gate for adults and includes a barbecue dinner.
March
Chalo Nitka Big Bass Fishing Tournament
The annual Chalo Nitka Big Bass Tournament is held the last Saturday in February at Alvin Ward Park, Herbert Hoover Dike, Moore Haven, FL 33471, from safelight until 1 p.m. Entry fee is $25 per person. Find a team and bring your boat! Over $3,000 in guaranteed cash prizes. There's a mystery gift for Lucky 13th place. The angler weighing in the biggest bass and wearing a Chalo Nitka t-shirt will win an additional $100. A Critter Division, sponsored by Ahern's Shell, gives the angler who brings in the largest Mudfish, Garr, or Catfish a chance to win $100.
April
Honey Festival in Muse
The Muse Community hosts the annual Honey Festival the last Saturday in March from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Muse Community Building, 2879 Loblolly Bay Road, La Belle, FL 33935. The event celebrates local beekeeping, agriculture and rural heritage as well as family-friendly activities and tastings.
All events can be found on the Glades County Calendar of Events page where you'll find more information.
Guided Hunts
Outside of festival season, there are plenty of local guided hunts to take part in all year long! Whether you're looking to hunt alligator, duck, turkey or hogs – there's an experience for everyone. Here's a list of some favorites to check out.
Alligator Hunting
Guide services are available to assist with scheduling, securing permits, and provide a choice of options ranging from bowhunting to rifle hunting. Alligator hunting is available year-round, and most services specialize in hunting trophy alligators in the 10-ft range and will refer the novice hunter to meat processing and taxidermy services. Lodging, transportation, and meals are often included in the price of the gator hunt. A typical alligator hunt will last from two to four hours and may be led on foot, by swamp buggy or boat depending on the size alligator being hunted and the hunting experience selected.
Duck Hunting
Lake Okeechobee is home to some of the best duck hunting in the world. The season for hunting typically runs from September to February, with some variation determined by the Florida Wildlife Commission to maintain and preserve duck populations. Local guides are available to lead you to the best duck hunting locations around Glades County. Duck hunts typically include fuel and airboat transportation, and many guides have affiliations with local accommodations, restaurants, and other services to help you plan your hunt.
Hog Hunting
Wild boar are considered to be a major nuisance to agriculture around Lake Okeechobee, so hunting is available year-round. Outfitters and guides offer a variety of hunting experiences including spot and stalk hog hunting, night hunts, buggy hunts, or spear hunts. Pricing is determined by the type of hog you harvest, a sport/meat hog or trophy hogs which are more than 200 lbs. and have more than 2 inches of teeth. While trophy hunting is largely guaranteed on some of the larger private preserves, guides conducting wild hunts on private and state managed land continuously scout properties where the best hogs are if you're looking to hunt a trophy.
Osceola Turkey Hunting
Florida is home to the Osceola Turkey, one of only five subspecies of wild turkey in North America. Hunters vying for a grand slam (all 5-turkey subspecies) or those who just love Florida's great hunting weather all enjoy bagging their wild Osceola Turkey during the fall season (August-October) or spring season (March-April). Seasons may shift slightly each year to preserve the populations.
To help plan your next hunting adventure, check out one of these guides:
- Hunting Guide: Chappy's Outfitters
- Gatorama (Palmdale, FL)
We can't wait to welcome you to Glades County. Don't forget to check out nearby North Lake RV Community to plan your stay and take in all these local events and things to do.
