Fred and Angela Biletnikoff are taking their long-running Crab Fest Gala to the biggest stage in Las Vegas this fall, holding the 26th annual fundraiser at Allegiant Stadium on October 16. The Raiders Hall of Famer and his wife will host the all-you-can-eat Dungeness crab dinner, cocktails, and silent and live auctions, with appearances planned from Raiders legends and celebrities from sports, media and entertainment.
The relocation from a hotel ballroom to an NFL stadium marks a milestone for a foundation born out of tragedy. As reported by FOX5 Vegas, Angela Biletnikoff said bringing the gala to Allegiant Stadium is a dream come true for the family and their supporters, and this year's event carries the theme “26 Years of Loyalty, Love and Friendship.” The Las Vegas Raiders and Modelo are supporting the event, according to the same report.
Fred Biletnikoff, a Raiders legend, Hall of Famer and Super Bowl XI MVP, spent 14 seasons as a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders from 1965 to 1978, recording 589 receptions for 8,974 yards and 76 touchdowns, according to Raiders.com. His name also lives on nationally through the Biletnikoff Award, which recognizes college football's outstanding FBS receiver each season, per the Biletnikoff Award organization, which also funds high school academic scholarships in Tracey Biletnikoff's memory.
A Foundation Born From Loss
The Biletnikoff Foundation traces directly back to grief. Fred and Angela's 20-year-old daughter, Tracey, was killed by an abusive boyfriend in Redwood City, California, in February 1999, according to the Los Angeles Times. Tracey had previously recovered from substance abuse before her death, per the same report.
In the years since, the foundation built its mission around adolescent domestic violence, substance abuse, and human trafficking, according to FOX5 Vegas. It opened its first Tracey's Place of Hope residential shelter in Burlingame, California, in 2000, followed by a second facility in Loomis, California, in 2014, according to a sponsorship document from the Biletnikoff Foundation.
Gala Supports a Boulder City Healing Center
This year's Crab Fest Gala benefits Tracey's Place of Hope at the Healing Center at St. Jude's Ranch for Children in Nevada, the fight against adolescent domestic violence, substance abuse, and human trafficking, per FOX5 Vegas.
That donation feeds into a much larger campus. St. Jude's Ranch opened its $25 million Healing Center in Boulder City in October 2024, a 10-acre residential treatment campus designed for child sex trafficking victims with six residential group homes caring for up to 62 residents, including two emergency shelter beds, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
An On-Site School for Survivors
The campus's support network extends into education. A Clark County School District campus operates at the complex, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The school is the first of its kind in the country, per the same report.
Previous iterations of the Crab Fest gala were hosted at commercial hotel venues, including the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The move to Allegiant Stadium represents a significant step up in scale and visibility for a fundraiser tied to a cause the Biletnikoffs have championed for more than two decades.
Sponsorship tiers for the October 16 gala range from $3,500 for a 10-guest table to $45,000 for the top “Pride and Poise” package, according to the Biletnikoff Foundation. The packages include red carpet photos and promotional opportunities, and ticket and sponsorship information is available on the foundation's website, per FOX5 Vegas.
