49th Milford Oyster Festival Was A Success, Date Set For 50th

MILFORD, CT – From the weather to the oyster shucking contest, the 49th Annual Milford Oyster Festival was a success, Michele DiBella, festival publicity chair, said.

“It was pretty near capacity in all the areas that we have,” DiBella said. “It was really humming.”

There were several areas where DiBella said they noticed growth in this year’s oyster festival.

“The Arts and Crafts area was buzzing, and we have increased activities at the Classic Car Show with a band and this year, we had a good crowd at the car show,” DiBella said. “I think it was the popularity of the show and the great weather that brought a lot of cars out.”

The Oyster Shucking Contest was another area that grew during this year's Oyster Fest.

“It was the busiest I’d ever seen it in all the years that I’ve worked at the festival,” DiBella said. “It was humming, and people loved the amazing bands. There was a huge crowd cheering on the oyster easters.”

“For the first time, a woman won the shucking contest,” DiBella added.

The children’s area was another place that saw growth this year as well.

“I saw the most families I ever saw at the festival,” DiBella said. “I often don’t have time to make it over to the children’s stage, but from the videos I received, it was busy. There were tons of kids enjoying the area.”

“Where once people decided to come to the Oyster Festival depending on the music, now we are starting to broaden our areas, and it’s becoming more and more popular because we are appealing to a wide range of people’s tastes,” DiBella said.

DiBella said this year, they worked with CORR, Collective Oyster Recycling and Restoration, to recycle the thousands of oyster shells they collect at the festival.

“They recycle our oyster shells, and what they do is they make beds with the recycled oyster for the future oysters,” she said.

DiBella said they are getting ready to start planning for the 50th Anniversary of the Milford Oyster.

“See you next year, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, for the 50th Annual Milford Oyster Festival,” she said.