The 2019 Oyster Festival is Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20 in historic Oyster Bay. The festival spans the geography of more than three football fields covering downtown Oyster Bay to the iconic waterfront and Theodore Roosevelt Park. The 2019 Oyster Festival blends new activities and old favorites to commemorate the 36th annual event.
2019 attractions include live entertainment, top-notch artisans, scavenger hunts, pirate shows, amusement rides, ships, giveaways, photo contests and the iconic oyster eating and shucking contests. And of course…the food courts, where volunteer chefs and culinary pros work side by side, cooking and serving dozens of unique oyster, clam and other seafood concoctions, along with traditional festival fare.
The Oyster Festival is a project of the Oyster Bay Rotary Club and funded by the Oyster Bay Charitable Fund. Profits from all food court sales directly support 25 participating local charities while proceeds from carnival rides and merchandise sales is donated to additional charities supported by the Rotary throughout the year. Admission is free and most activities are free.
Check www.theoysterfestival.org for the latest information.
Storied Past
More than 150 years ago, Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, was born to a wealthy family that summered in Oyster Bay not far from the waterfront property that today bears his name. To honor his memory, community leaders organized a parade to celebrate his 125th birthday. The parade proved so successful that it provided the roots of what would become the Oyster Festival in 1983.
New This Year
Blue Point Brewing Company will host the first-ever Blue Point Beer Garden at the 2019 Oyster Festival. The tented area will feature six different Blue Point beers, both new and old, including a special IPA brewed just for the festival. In addition, they will bring friends from Billion Oyster Project, the #TallMotherShucka Keenan Boyle and will be selling Blue Point merchandise all weekend.
Blue Point Brewing Company has been dedicated to sustainability and water restoration efforts through various partnerships. These efforts include their work with the Billion Oyster Project, an organization that is working to restore one billion live oysters around 100 acres of reef by 2035. Their reefs provide essential environmental services by improving water quality, creating habitats for thousands of other species and helping protect shorelines from storm damage. Festival-goers can expect to see Blue Point’s Good Reef Ale made in partnership with the Billion Oyster Project. For every pint sold, five oysters will be restored to oyster reefs in New York harbors. Those five oysters can filter up to 250 gallons of water per day.
Run By A Nonprofit, For Nonprofits
One of the largest fundraisers of its kind, the Oyster Festival is a project of the Rotary Club of Oyster Bay and operated by the Oyster Bay Charitable Fund. Profits from all food court sales directly support the many participating local charities while the proceeds from carnival rides and merchandise sales are donated to charities supported by the Rotary throughout the year. The festival attracts more than 150,000 visitors annually. The success is attributed to the year-round dedication of members of the Rotary Club of Oyster Bay, and its Long Island business community sponsors.
