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A Bright and Colorful Father’s Day Crab Feast

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You’ve never seen a crab feast like this before. Take a look at this modern party with an easy party menu, fun nautical touches, and bright colors.

Make Father's Day extra special with a crab feast! Head over to playdatesparties.com for the full party menu, party decorations, and tips for hosting your own modern crab feast.

 

 

Father’s Day is extra special at our house. It always falls within a few days of the Husband’s birthday…and his brother’s birthday.

You see, they are exactly three years apart in age. Without any scheduling at all, my MIL was somehow able to have her sons born on the same date. (Genius, if you ask me)

But Father’s Day also falls during a very special season for us Marylanders…crab season!

There’s just something special about gathering together with family for a crab feast. Even when I lived in Virginia, summer wasn’t complete without at least one day picking crabs and gabbing around the table.

So, when I asked the Husband what he wanted to celebrate this special day, he didn’t hesitate at all. He wanted a crab feast!

BUT, crab feasts can be so messy. So, I took on the challenge of creating a crab feast that is both pretty and practical.

Let’s take a look at how we made that happen, shall we?

Crab feast buffet and place setting with a steamed crab ready for picking.

Crab Feast Menu

Of course, there’s more to a crab feast than crabs. We kept the whole buffet simple, though. It was all about easy-to-prepare foods that would compliment the main course perfectly. Take a look:

  • Steamed Crabs with Old Bay
  • Fresh vegetables served with Hummus that was sprinkled with Old Bay
  • Crab Chips
  • Steamed Shrimp
  • Grilled Corn on the Cob
  • Fresh watermelon slices
  • Summer Slaw, and
  • Death by Chocolate cake

The crabs themselves were served out of a crabbing basket, and the rest of the food was served in natural half-peck bushel baskets and mini picnic woven baskets.

Crab Feast Decorations:

Of course, Maryland blue crabs come straight from the bay, so I thought it would be a fun idea to add some nautical touches to our decorations as well.

It all started with twine and rope.

Braiding together large gauge twine was a fun alternative to streamers and ribbons. And it came in quite handy in creating the chandelier made out of battery operated paper lanterns in the party’s green and orange color scheme.
A chandelier made with battery-operated lanterns in orange and green.

The Tablescape

Most crab feasts include a bunch of newspaper or trash bags spread over the table to collect muck and gunk. But I wanted something better.

I needed to find a way to protect the table, while being durable enough to handle the pounding that comes with cracking crabs.

My homemade mess-proof book page tablecloth was the perfect solution! It’s fun to look at, and is wipeable too.

A modern crab feast with place settings ready for the guests.

On top of that was plenty of napkins and melamine plates for each guest. (Melamine plates can also withstand the pounding of mallets on hard crab shells, though they might be a bit slippery.)

The place settings also had a berry basket for collecting crab shells, a mallet, and individual trays of Old Bay seasoning. The berry baskets were even prepared with a steamed crab, and a cocktail fork.

I just love the little party flags and twine accents on the cocktail forks, don’t you?
Crab feast place setting with a crab perched inside a berry basket, and a cocktail fork with a mini flag that says "Birthday Boy"

The Centerpiece

Instead of a big fussy centerpiece, I opted for making a quadruplet of succulent planters. The greens, reds and oranges worked perfectly with the decor. And they provided a nice pop of color without being too feminine.

A long and low centerpiece of small black boxes filled with succulents.

 

Now It’s Your Turn

Yes, we Marylanders love our crab feasts, which made it the perfect way to celebrate Father’s Day and my Husband’s birthday.

But you can have a crab feast anytime during the summer! It’s a fantastic way to just sit and spend time together doing something fun.

And even though it’s a messy endeavor, you can still make it look nice for a special occasion. All it takes is a little bit of creativity.

Have you ever hosted a crab feast?
What’s the messiest party theme you ever hosted?

 

 

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About Leslie

Leslie is the passionate party planner in her family. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, she was determined to find a way to continue making amazing parties for her kids that don't leave you exhausted. To do that Leslie combines the experience she learned working for a professional event planner with the reality of a busy family life to create party inspiration that the average mom can reproduce and be proud of.

Comments

  6. Nicole says

    I like your color scheme and the jute/rope rustic ties. Maybe someday I'll get with it and throw a party where the decor actually looks intentional. 🙂

    Reply

  13. Laura says

    Beautiful party. I am not really a decorator and can't imagine having such detail in a party and working full time and blogging. Amazing. And I want to come to a crab party. I didn't check, but I bet you don't live in Michigan!

    Reply

  20. Laurie says

    Wow, I bet the party was a big success! Love this! Pinning to share. Thank you for sharing your post with us this week for Snickerdoodle Sunday! We love having you 🙂

    Reply

    • Leslie says

      It was definitely a lot of fun. I think we’re going to have to have another crab feast soon! Thanks again for hosting…I love Snickerdoodle Sunday! 🙂

      Reply

  21. Sandra L Garth says

    I don’t eat crab but the guys in my life would love this. Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, and I hope your week is going great.

    Reply

  22. Margy says

    I love crab but it is so expensive here on the west coast. Back in the 70s I remember camping along the Oregon coast and stopping at crab stands to get a steamed crab to eat as dinner in the campground. Those are really great memories. – Margy

    Reply

  24. Lydia from Life Beyond the Kitchen says

    Some of my favorite memories as a child were catching crabs out of the Potomac and eating them within an hour of dipping them out of the water in our nets. We would go down to a bridge at night as the tide was turning and hang a lantern. When the crabs swam by we’d scoop them up in a chicken wire net. We also did it the old fashioned way with a chicken neck on a string. My father taught us how to pick crabs when we were toddlers. We learned how by cracking the claws and worked our way up to the body. My mother disliked any kind of shellfish and crabs in particular and would avoid kissing us before we washed up and brushed our teeth. Your crab feast looks lovely! Thanks for bringing back the memories.

    Reply

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