History:

The Festival (originally known as the King Crab Festival) began in 1958 to market a new industry: King Crab. King Crab was, at that time not a well-known or popular food. As the King Crab industry declined and other crab fisheries grew in Kodiak, the “King” was dropped and the festival became the “Kodiak Crab Festival”. Though some years there may not be an abudunace of crab food on the midway, the name has remained for historical reasons.