Celebrate Aquaculture at the Ocean State Oyster Festival

OysterFest. Photo by Jamie Coelho.

Even though we think about oysters as a summer treat, you know what they say about months that end with R. September, October, November and December are optimal times for oysters, since the bivalves are fattening up for winter. While oysters are a year-round delicacy in Rhode Island, the best time to slurp them down is at the eleventh annual Ocean State Oyster Festival, happening on Saturday, September 20, from 1 to 8 p.m.

Showcasing Rhode Island’s booming oyster industry, this all-day event joins sixteen farms stretching from Westerly to the Sakonnet River, as well as several scattered across coastal salt ponds and Narragansett Bay. Each farm will explain their unique oyster cultivation methods and offer visitors the opportunity to meet the farmhands behind the harvest.

Of course, this would not be your typical Rhode Island festival without some amazing food and drinks. Food options will include The Shuckin’ Truck and Sunset Farm, serving fresh seafood and local beef burgers. Four Rhode Island bands will provide live entertainment throughout the day, while Whalers Brewing Company will offer a selection of craft beers, including pale ales and hard seltzers. Do not expect the fun to end there. There will also be a dedicated cocktail bar that will offer top-quality margaritas and bourbon tasting samples.

“The goal still stands from day one,” says Dave Roebuck, co-founder of the Ocean State Oyster Festival, along with Frank Mullin and Don Nguyen . “We want people to continue to enjoy eating our best Rhode Island oysters, and to introduce new people to maybe their first oyster, which will hopefully create a customer for life.”

While oysters are the main the event of the day, the festival also seeks to highlight the importance of sustainability in local aquaculture. Nearly 18,000 shells will be collected and recycled by the same farms that grew them, and hopefully repurposed into reef restoration projects that will help new oyster larvae thrive. Overall, you can expect to have a great time with good food, good drinks, good music and, needless to say, the freshest oysters the Ocean State has to offer.

Grab your $15 tickets before it is too late on oysterfestri.com, and do not miss out on the opportunity to enjoy one of Rhode Island’s tastiest specialties!

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