The 10 Best Oyster Festivals in the US

5th August is National Oyster Day. How we can celebrate this yummy treasure that comes hidden in a shell? There are many oyster festivals organized around the US but here is a highlight of the top 10 oyster festivals organized for National Oyster Day. You can choose the nearest one or the one that suits best to your taste of fun and adventure. 

1.    St. Mary’s County Oyster Festival, California, Maryland

Chesapeake Oyster is the king in Maryland which is the home of the Chesapeake Bay. It is everyone’s favorite no matter how it is eaten, slurped raw on the half shell, or fried, baked, braised, or roasted. If you are yet to taste the Chesapeake Oysters, this is the oyster festival to hit this year. It is an exciting family-oriented event held every autumn. St. Mary’s County Oyster Festival is known for its oyster cooking and shucking competitions. 

2.    The New Orleans Oyster Festival, New Orleans

The New Orleans Oyster Festival is organized to educate the community about the benefits of the Louisiana Gulf Oyster and improve the economic well-being of the oyster farmers, oyster shuckers, and their families. This festival also contributes to the restoration of the Gulf Coast, which is crucial to the longevity of the oyster culture. There will be a range of contests from oyster-eating to oyster shucking. If you are impressed by their mission and loves to taste a new type of oyster, join the New Orleans Oyster festival next time. 

3.    New York Oyster Week, NYC

New York Oyster Week celebrates the oyster lovers, places, and processes that grow and present oysters. It also conveys a message to protect, preserve and restore oyster habitats and while encouraging those who enjoy, produce, distribute or serve oysters. This is one of the best festivals to explore oyster’s history, culture, cuisine, economies, and eco-systems while having fun. 

4.    Milford Oyster Festival, Milford, Connecticut

The Milford Oyster Festival will be a grand celebration with about 30,000 oysters harvested from Milford waters. To add an extra sparkle to the event, there will be great music with good wine and beer. So if your choice is something more than oysters, Milford Oyster Festival should be your destination. 

5.    The Florida Seafood Festival, Apalachicola, FL

The Florida Seafood Festival is a two-day event held annually in the historic town of Apalachicola in adorable Franklin County. The Festival is located at the mouth of the Apalachicola River in the shades of old oaks of Apalachicola’s Battery Park.

This festival brings together delicious seafood, arts and crafts exhibits, seafood-related events along with musical entertainment. The signature events of the Florida Seafood Festival are Oyster Eating and Oyster Shucking contest, Blue Crab Races, Photo Contest, Parade, 5k Redfish Run, The Blessing of the Fleet, History of the Festival Exhibit, and Tonging For Treasure.

6.    Urbanna Oyster Festival, Urbanna, VA

For the last 64 years, the first week of November was a weekend full of festivities, food, and fun for the small town of Urbanna, Virginia organized to celebrate the world’s favorite delicacy that comes in a shell, the Oyster!

The Urbanna Oyster Festival is recognized as the 2nd Oldest Oyster Festival in the world, and in 1988 was designated as the Official Oyster Festival of the Commonwealth!

Each year more than 50,000 participants from all over the country join this oyster festival for a weekend of Live Music, Delicious Food, a Beautiful Waterfront, a One-Of-A-Kind Fireman’s Parade, the Virginia State Oyster Shucking Competition, and much more joy. 

7.    Fiesta Oyster Bake, San Antonio, TX

 Started as a St. Mary’s University alumni gathering with a few people in 1916 on the banks of the San Antonio River downtown has now excelled to a premier Fiesta San Antonio event with over 70,000 patrons and more than 7,000 volunteers.

The food, music, and all bits of joy at Fiesta oyster bake will be second to none but 100% of the funds raised during the Oyster Bake festival go directly back to the students of St. Mary’s University. When you attend Oyster Bake, You will have some grand all-oyster fun while supporting the education of young students and promoting their growth as future community leaders.

8. Central Coast Oyster Festival, Morro Bay, CA

Central Coast Oyster Festival is one of the biggest oyster festivals in the West. This celebrates and represents the city’s food industry. The Central Coast Oyster Festival is unique because the festival is a fundraising and promotional event for non-profit organizations dedicated to helping people with disabilities and family services.

And the festival itself is a creative event which is worth attending. With live entertainment, you can enjoy delicious oysters cooked by the best chefs in the local, award-winning local wine, beers, and spirits.

9. Guinness Oyster Fest, Chicago

Guinness Oyster Fest is held in Chicago’s Roscoe Village. This is one of the longest-running oyster fests in the world. Guinness Oyster Fest will feature the freshest and most delicious East and West coast oysters with a variety of Guinness wines and signature cocktails for tasting.

10. Wellfleet Oyster Fest, Wellfleet, MA

Wellfleet has been home to one of the world’s tastiest oyster beds for generations. Shellfish Promoting and Tasting Inc was established in 2001 in Wellfleet and is responsible for the glory of Wellfleet having a sustainable oyster industry. SPAT is a non-profitable organization that educates the community about the Oyster industry through events and seminars. SPAT organizes the Wellfleet oyster fest to promote and produces smaller programs and events each year to promote the local traditions related to the oyster industry. Additionally, the organization offers local college scholarship programs with funds raised through the fest.