NEW ORLEANS – The 7th Annual New Orleans Oyster Festival will celebrate the oyster, a delicacy and integral part of the unique culinary culture of Louisiana, at Woldenberg Riverfront Park at the Mississippi River, on Saturday, June 4, and Sunday, June 5, 2016, from 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
The Festival will feature oyster competitions including the Acme Oyster House® World Oyster Eating Championship, the P&J Oyster Shucking Competition and the New Orleans Fish House Largest Oyster Contest.
And more than 20 restaurants will be showing off the versatility of the region’s favorite bivalve at the New Orleans Oyster Festival, including:
– Acme Oyster House
– Antoine’s
– Basin Seafood
– Bourbon House
– Cafe Reconcile
– Cafe Hope
– Creole House Restaurant & Oyster Bar
– Desire Oyster Bar
– Drago’s
– The Famous Gumbo Pot
– Haydel’s Bakery
– Jacques-Imo’s Cafe
– Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar
– Katie’s Restaurant
– Luke
– NOLA Snow Snoballs
– Oceana Restaurant
– Royal House Oyster Bar
– Red Fish Grill
– Superior Seafood
– Trenasse
– Voleo's Seafood Restaurant
Launched in 2010, the New Orleans Oyster Festival works to educate the country about the benefits of the Louisiana Gulf Oyster, honor and celebrate the restaurateurs and oyster farmers who have solidified the New Orleans French Quarter’s position as the “Oyster Capital of America,” and help raise funds for “Coastal Restoration.” The New Orleans Oyster Festival donates a portion of its proceeds to a beneficiary or group of beneficiaries whose purpose and mission align with that of the festival including:
• ORA Estuaries: OysterBreak™: The OysterBreak™ is a patented technology developed by ORA Technologies, L.L.C. designed to use the oyster’s inherent nature of clustering to form a coastal protection structure. The OysterBreak™ system’s design is to be used as an alternative to traditional rock structures.
• Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation: Artificial Reef Program & Planting Oyster Shell on Public Reefs: The Louisiana Artificial Reef Program was established in 1986 to take advantage of obsolete oil and gas platforms and other structures such as bridges to create habitats for the fisheries. The program also uses shell or limestone to create artificial reefs to increase habitats for fisheries.
This year’s craft area (with oyster-centric crafts) will include:
– Hanvy Designs: Hanvy Designs Seafood Pirogues
– House of Tam: Oyster jewelry
– Indigo Graffiti: Oyster necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, hair accessories and pearl jewelry
– Kinfolk Collective: Oyster socks and tote bags
– Loftin Oysters: Ceramic Oyster shells and cooking accessories
– MacBe Oyster Art: Oyster trees, flowers, ornament crosses and signs
– Stone Creations: Coasters and picture frames
– The Oyster Bed: Oyster plates, spoons, forks, spoon rests and other art
– Whitemarsh Island Woodwork: Oyster shucking boards and gear
The New Orleans Oyster Festival’s schedule includes:
Saturday at 12:00 p.m. – The P&J Oyster Shucking Competition
Saturday afternoon – The New Orleans Fish House Largest Oyster Contest
Sunday at 11:45 a.m. – The Acme Oyster Eating Contest
This year’s musical lineup includes:
Saturday:
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Tank and the Bangas
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Mia Borders
2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. The Mulligan Brothers
3:45 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Colin Lake
5:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Honey Island Swamp Band
Sunday:
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. One A Chord Gospel Choir
1:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Stooges Brass Band
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The Bucktown Allstars
5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Bag of Donuts
This year’s chef demonstrations include:
Saturday:
11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Jolie Pearl Oyster Bar
12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Desire Oyster Bar
1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Sac-a-Lait
Sunday:
11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Trenasse
12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. Luke
1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Bourbon House
The P&J Oyster Shucking Competition Preliminaries will take place on Thursday, June 2, at 4:00 p.m. at The Royal Sonesta Hotel.
The P&J Oyster Shucking Competition will have a preliminary event to identify the top six shuckers that will participate in the final round of the competition at the New Orleans Oyster Festival. The city’s best shuckers, each from a different restaurant in the city, will be on hand to shuck their way to the finals for the competition. Celebrity judges to be announced at a later date.
