Fish will fly April 26-28 during Flora-Bama’s 40th Mullet Toss
Fish will fly April 26-28 during Flora-Bama’s 40th Mullet Toss
By Fran Thompson
Flora-Bama’s April 26-28 Mullet Toss weekend, which has rightfully been billed as the Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party, returns to the beautiful quartz crystal beach behind that famed roadhouse for the 40th time beginning with the kids’ toss at 10 a.m. each day. Adult tossers start at noon, and the $20 per toss fee includes a t-shirt (Proceeds go to local charities).
Cover charge to Flora-Bama begins at 9 a.m. each day from Friday through Sunday. Entry is $10 per day for 21 and up and $15 for 16-20 year olds, with 15 & under admitted free. The party is open to all ages until 6 p.m., at which point the event is for those 21 and up.
Membership cards are good for entry a d are available online or at the door. Cards are good for the entire event and the rest of the year. And there are special perks attached to it all year.
It is cash only for bar sales on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with plenty of ATM’s available.
Tens of thousands of folks from throughout the nation & all walks of life will descend upon the Al-Fl state line for the three day frenzy of food, fun and frivolity, as the event has grown into one of the busiest weekends on the Alabama-Florida Gulf Coast.
It also generates well over $40,000 for local charities, including local school education and prevention programs from the Community Drug & Alcohol Council, Inc. (CDAC), every year on both sides of the state line.
The toss rules are simple. Competitors will toss a mullet, a mystical fish possessing a gizzard, out of a 10-foot circle, from Perdido Key, Florida into Orange Beach, Alabama.
But the party and the location are why so many people take a road trip to what some (including Playboy magazine) say is the best beach bar in the world the last weekend of April every year.
In addition to bragging rights, winners earn trophies, and gift certificates to local establishments. Trophies are awarded 3-deep in 19 total age categories, male & female, for each day.
The rules: Contestants must select a mullet from the water bucket themselves. No gloves, no sand coating and no loading up a mullet with ballast before flinging allowed. All competitors must retrieve their own fish and return it to the water bucket. Stepping out of the circle before tossing or tossing the fish out of bounds are both no-nos.
Tossers have only one chance to make a good throw. Those who can manage a throw of more than 100 ft. have a good chance of placing.
Tossing techniques are as varied as the contestants. For most, the best strategy is to fold the fish and pretend like you are trying to gun down a runner at the plate from center field.
Longtime competitor Wes Durham said at a past Toss that he likes to give his fish a pre-flight sip of beer. “Food for flight,’’ he called it.
Many Mullet Toss patrons will make condo and hotel reservations for 2025 while in town this year.
“They could come here on July 4th or Memorial Day or Labor Day. But they decide that something we created was going to be their weekend to have a party, and they come back every year,’’ said Flora-Bama co-owner Pat McClellan. “It’s a tradition for a lot of people, and they respect that tradition and respect each other.
“We have less problems with crowds at the Mullet Toss than during the major holiday weekends,’’ he added.
Other Mullet Toss events include a Mr. Mullet Hot Body Contest at 1 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in the inside tent, and the Miss Mullet Toss bikini contest at 3 p.m. on Friday & Saturday.
Music will be continuous on three stages throughout the weekend. and include the Big Earl Show on Friday and Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
The four eateries on the Flora-Bama campus will feature tacos, shrimp, oysters, bama burgers and crawfish.
There is no charge for parking and lots will be manned by local non-profits. But parking is severely limited. It is highly suggested that patrons take a taxi, a shuttle, Uber or Lyft.
The Interstate Mullet Toss has been written up in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and the New York Times. It’s been covered by all three network morning shows. It was also featured in Sports Illustrated, but McClellan’s attempt to get the record toss listed in the Guiness Book of World Records was rejected.
For more info, visit florabama.com or facebook.