OysterFest Highlights Local Industry & Supports Community Efforts
For locals, OysterFest is a tradition. For visitors, it’s a chance to indulge in the seafood dishes for which the Pacific Northwest is best known. On the first full weekend in October, Skookum Rotary will stage its annual OysterFest, which is home to the West Coast Oyster Shucking Championships. It is also Washington State’s official seafood festival.
On Friday evening, from 6:00-10:00p, the Shelton Rotary Club’s 21+ OysterFunk features music food and beer garden, catering to locals and OysterFest RVers alike. The cover is $5 and may be purchased at the gate.
Saturday and Sunday hosts family friendly opportunities all day with water quality exhibits, free entertainment, and live music throughout the weekend. There are fun activities for kids throughout the event including daily children’s shows on the Kids Stage, mini golf presented by local Boy Scout Troop, face painting, crafts, carnival games, remote controlled scale ships in a giant tank, and the famous Kristmas Town Kiwanis train rides. There are plenty of hands-on fun activities including educational exhibits and, of course, the marine touch tanks filled with inter-tidal sea creatures.
For those looking for adult activities, dozens of Washington State Wineries and Pacific Northwest Microbreweries certainly know how to do their thing. Combine this with the food vendors offering unique delicacies make this a festival to arrive to both hungry & thirsty!
Speaking of seafood, don’t miss the excitement on the Shucking Stage. On both days, oyster shuckers compete for cash prizes and national recognition. Shelton’s championship is the preliminary event to the United States shuck-off at St. Mary’s Oyster Festival in Maryland. Each year, the competitions goes through more than 6,000 of Taylor Shellfish’s donated oysters for the speed and the half-shell competitions.
The best thing about OysterFest is that Skookum Rotary allows exclusively nonprofit organizations serving Mason County to be a food vendor at OysterFest. By making this requirement, Skookum Rotary ensures that it is a fundraising event for other organizations as well. What a way to pay it forward!
The entire event is manned by volunteers so, if you haven’t already signed up for a shift, consider lending a helping hand. Signup online at oysterfest.org/volunteer. Volunteers receive a commemorative t-shirt and free admission on the day of their shift.
Oyster Fest is located on Sanderson Field, 1/2 mile north of Shelton, west of US Highway 101. There is no charge to park your car on or off of the fairgrounds and handicap parking is available near the gates. Kindly note that, except for Service Dogs, animals are not permitted on the OysterFest grounds.
Free parking areas and pick-up points are located at Kamilche-Transit Center at Little Creek Casino, Shelton Matlock Park & Ride, and Olympic College Shelton Campus. Stops
are planned every 20-30 minutes at all locations, Saturday 10:00a-6:30p and Sunday 10:00a-5:30p. There is no charge to ride the shuttle bus.
The cost of admission is $15 for an adult and children under 7 are free. Sunday is also Family & Military Day with children under 17 gaining free entry and active military receiving a discounted $5 admission. Two-day, discounted tickets may also be pre-purchased online.
Tickets, RV info, entertainment schedules, maps, and more are online at oysterfest.org.
