OysterFest is held each year in Talbot County at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The event celebrates the Chesapeake Bay’s beloved oyster while also offering visitors a variety of historical demonstrations and educational presentations.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will host its annual OysterFest on Saturday, October 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The community is invited to join in a fun-filled day celebrating the Bay’s favorite bivalve with activities for all ages.
Guests can enjoy a mouthwatering menu featuring fresh oysters served in a variety of styles, along with local favorites, craft beer, and spirits. Two stages of live music, an oyster stew competition, boat rides, hands-on demonstrations, educational presentations, and children’s activities will round out the day’s entertainment.
Oysters will be provided by the Talbot Watermen Association and several local oyster farms, offering both raw and cooked options.
Throughout the day, the Van Lennep Auditorium will feature guest speakers, including representatives from the Pocomoke Indian Nation, whose ancestral lands extend across much of lower Delmarva. In addition to their presentation, the Pocomokes will offer demonstrations near CBMM’s Shipyard, sharing their heritage and traditions with visitors. Programming—including performances and presentations by the Pocomoke Indian Nation, The Folk Villains, and the American Chesapeake Club—is supported by the Upper Shore Regional Folklife Center through the Maryland Traditions Program of the Maryland State Arts Council.
Adding to the excitement, two visiting tall ships will be docked at CBMM for the festival. The AJ Meerwald, New Jersey’s official tall ship and a restored oyster dredging schooner, will offer free dockside tours. The Lady Maryland, a full-scale reproduction of a 19th-century Chesapeake Bay cargo schooner known as a pungy, will offer free deck tours during the festival.
This year’s OysterFest is sure to provide fun for all. For more information on this year’s OysterFest including tickets please see OysterFest at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.
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