The Maryland Seafood Festival is a major two-day event held annually at Sandy Point State Park that celebrates the region’s seafood heritage and attracts more than 20,000 attendees from across Maryland and neighboring states. The festival serves as a driver of tourism and local economic activity in the Annapolis area, with measurable spillover into surrounding regions and a broader statewide impact through Chesapeake Bay’s seafood supply chain. In the current report, Towson University’s Regional Economic Studies Institute (RESI) evaluated the Maryland Seafood Festival’s economic and fiscal impacts using IMPLAN, a detailed input-output modeling framework.
Economic and fiscal impact results
Results generated from IMPLAN reflect how direct expenditures from attendees, visitors, organizers, and vendors translate into broader economic activity. The current study uses the 2024 IMPLAN model for Maryland with results shown in 2026 dollars. Three dimensions of impacts are presented: direct, indirect, and induced effects. Direct impacts include attendee spending on tickets, food and beverages, merchandise and parking, as well as off-site spending by visitors on lodging, entertainment, dining, retail and transportation. Additional direct contribution stems from operational expenditures by festival organizers and vendors associated with producing and hosting the event, including staffing, security, staging, and on-site event operations.
Indirect impacts capture the economic activity generated as festival-related businesses source goods and services from other sectors within Maryland’s economy. This includes linkages to seafood suppliers, distributors, equipment rental firms, and marketing and event service providers. Induced impacts reflect the household spending generated by employees and workers whose income is supported by festival-related activity, contributing to broader economic circulation. Figure 1 displays the combined economic impact of all spending categories.
Figure 1: Combined economic impact of Maryland Seafood Festival
| Impact Type | Direct | Indirect | Induced | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 42 | 9 | 8 | 59 |
| Output | $4,849,220 | $1,932,396 | $1,588,848 | $8,370,464 |
| Employee Compensation | $1,409,624 | $550,002 | $459,206 | $2,418,831 |
Based on estimated 2024 attendance levels and 2026 ticket pricing and expenditure assumptions, the Maryland Seafood Festival supports an estimated 59 jobs, generates nearly $8.4 million in economic output, and produces an estimated $2.4 million in employee compensation. Together, these results underscore the festival’s ability to support employment, generate business revenue, and sustain earnings across multiple industries.
In addition to broader economic activity, the event generates meaningful fiscal benefits for both state and local governments. Figure 2 summarizes the fiscal impacts generated by a combination of attendee spending, visitor activity, and event operations. In total, the event is estimated to generate $0.6 million in tax revenues.
Figure 2: Combined fiscal impact of Maryland Seafood Festival
| Property | Income | Sales | Payroll | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Taxes | $20,644 | $36,847 | $242,361 | $3,186 | $76,048 | $379,085 |
| County Taxes | $193,680 | $0 | $11,924 | $0 | $55,700 | $261,303 |
| Total | $214,323 | $36,847 | $254,285 | $3,186 | $131,748 | $640,388 |
Overall, the Maryland Seafood Festival generates significant economic and fiscal activity, driven primarily by out-of-town visitor spending and event-related expenditures. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to evaluate how changes in key assumptions affect the festival’s estimated economic impact. Overall, the analysis illustrates how recurring cultural and culinary events contribute to sustained, tourism-driven economic activity across Maryland, reinforcing the interconnectedness of local industries and regional economic systems.
