The 2026 Rosarito Seafood Festival brought together restaurants, seafood producers and culinary schools from across Baja California on Saturday, August 22, offering visitors a taste of the region’s rich culinary traditions in the gardens of the historic Rosarito Beach Hotel.
The festival featured a wide variety of seafood dishes and wines, attracting local, regional and international visitors who came to enjoy the annual gastronomic celebration.
Chefs showcased dishes prepared with fresh seafood sourced from the Pacific coast of Baja California and Baja California Sur, highlighting both traditional flavors and creative approaches to regional cuisine.
Among the featured dishes were lobster specialties from La Casa de la Langosta, the emblematic restaurant in Puerto Nuevo; Loreto-style clams topped with melted cheese; and sardine and abalone tamales from Kraken, a restaurant in the El Campito dining district in southern Primo Tapia.
Other offerings included Mexican-style stingray tostadas and yellowtail tostadas prepared with spices and a variety of dressings by the gastronomy school of the Technological University of Tijuana.
Fishing cooperatives from San Quintín also participated, showcasing fresh, high-quality products from communities including Campo Nuevo, Valle Tranquilo, Puerto San Carlos and El Socorro.
The opening ceremony was led by Baja California Tourism Undersecretary Martha Inés Domínguez Uscanga, Rosarito DIF President Aziel Espinoza Adame, CANIRAC President Octavio Machado Sánchez and Hotel Rosarito Board Chairman Hugo Antonio Torres Ramírez. They thanked participating restaurants, producers, sponsors and the public for supporting the event.
A Festival With Deep Roots in Rosarito
During the ceremony, Torres Ramírez looked back at the origins of the festival, recalling that it began with his uncle, Manuel Barbachano, when the Hotel Rosarito was one of the few major attractions in the area.
According to Torres Ramírez, the event originally consisted of seafood cookouts on the beach, attracting large groups of visitors from the United States who traveled to Rosarito in caravans of what are now classic Chevrolet and Ford automobiles.
“It started with Don Manuel Barbachano, when there was practically nothing in Rosarito except the Hotel Rosarito,” Torres Ramírez recalled. “They initially organized seafood cookouts on the beach, and large groups came from the United States in caravans. It was a Sunday summer outing to enjoy fresh seafood, lobster and fish. That is how the festival atmosphere began.”
From 1974 to 1989, his father, Hugo Eduardo Torres Chabert, organized the event for 15 years, before CANIRAC was established.
Following the creation of CANIRAC in 1989, the festival became part of Rosarito’s tourism events calendar, adopting new formats while continuing to receive support from Torres Chabert.
Supporting the Community
The 2026 edition was held as a benefit for the Rosarito Municipal DIF system.
Part of the funds raised will go toward sensory classrooms and diagnostic services for children with neurological conditions.
The festival also recognized participants for their culinary creations in several categories, including Excellence in Presentation and Plating and Gastronomic Excellence in Fish and Seafood.
Another category highlighted Innovation in Sardines, encouraging participants to develop new ways of presenting and enjoying the seafood product while recognizing their creativity and culinary talent.
The festival once again brought together Rosarito’s culinary traditions, regional seafood producers and the city’s long history of welcoming visitors to the coast.