Oyster Shucking, Treasure Hunt, Beer Garden: 2019 Oyster Festival

OYSTER BAY, NY – The annual Oyster Festival is finally here and about 150,000 people are expected to descend on the waterfront this weekend for two days of oyster shucking, live music, rock painting, carnival rides and more. The festival — which nearly didn't happen this year — runs Saturday and Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. It is the largest waterfront festival on the East Coast.

While the main attraction is, obviously, oysters, more than 60 food options will be available to attendees this year. So even if seafood isn't your thing, plenty of other dishes will be available to sate your appetite.

Some of the options available: crab cakes, fish tacos, fried oysters, lobster bisque, clams, sea scallops, steak sandwiches, roasted corn, ribs, fried chicken, pulled port, fried ravioli, chili, chicken fingers, burgers, pickles, turkey legs, wings, mozzarella sticks, pizza, grilled mac and cheese sandwiches — yes, sandwiches — and potato twisters.

Among some of the international offerings: bratwursts, potato pancakes, mozzarepa, calzones, Greek gyros, kielbasa sandwiches, pierogis and empanadas.

And as with any Long Island festival, there will be ample helpings of zeppoles, deep-fried Oreos and cotton candy.

Organizers boast that more than 60,000 oysters will be consumed over the two-day event. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

And the event is kid-friendly, with specific areas offering family entertainment and activities, such as rock painting, spin art, chalk art, bubbles, a treasure hunt and more.

The treasure hunt is new this year. Residents received a map with 10 different clues and the person with the most points on each day will win $250, Alissa Marti, spokeswoman for the festival, told Patch on Friday. Residents outside of Nassau can pick up a map at the Herald booth or Rotary booth.

The family fun zone, a new space that used to be called the West End, is packed with great kid activities, she said. There will be a "touch-a-truck" event, where young ones can get up close and personal with pay loaders and other construction vehicles.

Girl Scouts will put on a popsicle and spoon catapult challenge for older kids, and offer bookmarks and coloring sheets for younger kids. New this year will be the first-ever Oyster Festival talent show.

Sea-lovers will be treated to a live marine animal touch tank featuring various invertebrates, as well as a replica of Christopher Columbus' infamous Santa Maria ship that he once used to sail to the New World in 1492. The ship is at the Waterfront Center dock on West End Avenue and tours will be available both days.

Adults looking to have a really good time can always wander into the new Blue Point Beer Garden tent near the main stage. The brewery will offer up a half-dozen various brews including Toasted Lager, seasonal Mother Pumpkin Ale and a special Oyster Fest IPA, Newsday reported.

There will also be a car show with Saturday featuring "beautifully manicured" classic cars, Marti said. Live bands will perform throughout the festival on the main stage. Click here to see the full lineup.

Admission to the festival is free and most activities are free as well. Organizers recommended attendees take the Long Island Rail Road rather than drive.

"It drops you off in the heart of the festival," Marti said.

The festival, a project of the Oyster Bay Rotary Club and funded by the Oyster Bay Charitable Fund, began as a parade meant to honor former President Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt was born to a wealthy family that spent their summers in Oyster Bay near the waterfront park, and community leaders organized a parade to celebrate his 125th birthday. The event transformed into the Oyster Festival in 1983.

Profits from all food court sales directly support 25 participating local charities, and proceeds from carnival rides and merchandise sales are donated to other charities supported by the rotary club.