Chincoteague Oyster Festival
8128 Beebe Rd Chincoteague Island VA 23336
The Chincoteague Oyster Festival is held to promote the seafood industry and mark the arrival of the oyster season. Come and enjoy oysters—raw, steamed, fritters, and single fried; clam fritters, clam chowder, shrimp cocktail, salad bar, hot dogs, hush puppies, and Boardwalk fries. Beverages are included in the ticket price with beer available for purchase. Island Boy, a festival favorite for over 25 years, will provide live entertainment for everyone’s enjoyment. An Extravaganza Raffle is held with the winner receiving t-shirts, tickets, lodging, gift certificates for meals, and much more for the following year’s festival. A favorite at the festival is the “Best Place/Space Award” which is given to the best decorated area. There will also be a variety of souvenirs available for purchase. This is an advance ticketed event that is typically sold out before festival day.
48th Annual Chincoteague Oyster Festival
CELEBRATING CHINCOTEAGUE ‘SALTS’ & THE BEGINNING OF OYSTER SEASON
October 9, 2021
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Tom’s Cove Park
8128 Beebe Road, Chincoteague, VA 23336
Locate the Festival on Google Maps
Tickets are $50 per person (Children under 5 are FREE)
REFUND POLICY – Event is held rain or shine. Every attempt will be made to have the festival on the date and time advertised, however circumstances beyond the Chamber’s control may require rescheduling or delay. All sales are final in case of ticketholder cancellation or organizer postponement. If the event is cancelled by the organizer or due to circumstances beyond our control, tickets may be transferred to a future festival or refunded at 80% within 60 days of cancellation. After that time, only ticket transfers to future festivals will be honored.
Tickets are limited, so order early!!! This is a sell out event!
10:00 am – Gates open (NO EARLY ENTRY FOR SETUP) Any items set up prior to 10am on festival day are subject to removal.
11:00 am – Appetizer tents begin serving – Clam Chowder, Shrimp Cocktail, Salad Bar, Boardwalk Fries, Hushpuppies, Hot Dogs
12:00 pm – Seafood tents begins serving – Raw Oysters, Steamed Oysters, Single Fried Oysters, Oyster Fritters, Clam Fritters
Live music begins with Island Boy
4:00 pm – Festival ends
6:00 pm – Due to insurance liability purposes, all attendees and volunteers must exit the festival grounds
PLEASE NOTE:
All e-tickets must be scanned either by our volunteer scanners at the entrance of Toms Cove Park or at the Will Call tent to acquire festival wristband.
All attendees must have a festival wristband prior to entrance to festival grounds.
Attendees can come and go to the festival grounds from 10am – noon.
No re-entry to festival grounds after noon. Upon leaving festival grounds, wristbands will be cut.
All attendees age 21 and over MUST provide a photo ID at the beer tent in order to purchase beer. No exceptions!
Beer tent and some Arts & Crafts vendors only accept cash, so please come prepared!
Due to the popularity of the seafood we offer, we cannot guarantee that each item will be available up until 4pm.
Eat all you want, but please do not remove food from the festival grounds.
No pets, vehicles, golf carts, one wheels, bicycles or fire pits/rings are permitted inside the festival grounds for safety purposes.
LEARN MORE:
HELPFUL HINTS | DIRECTIONS & PARKING | EXTRAVAGANZA OF PRIZES RAFFLE & BEST SPACE | MERCHANDISE (Arrives approx. one week before festival)
UPON PURCHASE OF TICKET(S), YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO ALL THE ABOVE MENTIONED TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
We thank you for cooperation in making this a wonderful festival! See you on festival day!
Tickets are no longer being sold in outlets. Tickets can be purchased by clicking the ‘BUY NOW’ button, calling 757-336-6161 or stopping by the Chamber office, 6733 Maddox Boulevard, Chincoteague.
_______________________________________
Information Regarding the 2020 Chincoteague Oyster Festival and DIY Oyster Festival
Updated 9/9/2020
Learn more about the DIY Chincoteague Oyster Festival drive thru event featuring oysters, shirts and souvenir food trays which will take place at the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce parking lot on Saturday, October 10, 2020 from 10am – 1pm by CLICKING HERE.
______________________________________
Updated 8/27/2020
We thank you for your patience and understanding in regard to the cancellation of the Chincoteague Oyster Festival and for giving our Board of Directors time to review refund policy options.
2020 Chincoteague Oyster Festival ticket holders have the following refund options:
1. Transfer tickets to the Chincoteague Seafood Festival scheduled for May 1, 2021
2. Transfer tickets to the Chincoteague Oyster Festival scheduled for October 9, 2021
3. 100% refund of tickets purchased
a. Tickets purchased in the chamber office or over the phone will be refunded by check or credit card at $45 per ticket.
b. Tickets purchased through Eventbrite will be refunded back to the credit card used at time of purchase through Eventbrite at $49.37; full ticket amount including processing fees.
PLEASE NOTE: The Chincoteague Chamber Board of Directors has also made the following decisions:
1. Tickets for the 2021 Chincoteague Seafood and Oyster Festivals will be $50 each. If you plan to attend future festivals, transferring them will save you money versus receiving a refund now and purchasing tickets in the future.
2. If you purchased tickets for several people/families, we can transfer some tickets and refund others. Just let us know.
3. This refund policy applies to individuals who purchased tickets to the Chincoteague Oyster Festival or those that had tickets transferred from the Chincoteague Seafood Festival.
4. Notifications stating desire for 100% refund of tickets purchased will only be accepted for 60 days after this announcement (until October 26, 2020). All notifications received after that time will result in a ticket transfer to a future festival only. This announcement is posted on Eventbrite, ChincoteagueChamber.com’s Oyster Festival directory and event pages and Chamber Facebook and Oyster Festival event pages.
5. Ticket holders MUST email joanne@chincoteaguechamber.com or call 757-336-6161 to notify us of your refund wishes. REFUNDS WILL NOT BE MADE AUTOMATICALLY. We need to know which option you choose and if the credit card you used at the time of purchase has changed.
Our busy office is now an office of only two employees with one being part time. Refunds will be made as quickly as possible but please allow us several weeks. Once your refund is processed, it will still take the credit card company several days before the credit appears on your statement.
NEWS: The Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a ‘DIY Chincoteague Oyster Festival’ on Saturday, October 10, 2020 at the chamber office, 6733 Maddox Boulevard as a “drive-thru” event. Purchase shelled and shucked oysters packaged on ice to take back to your home or accommodation to enjoy. T-shirts and festival trays will be available. We will also be hosting an Extravaganza Silent Auction! More information will be coming out soon, so check our Facebook and ChincoteagueChamber.com Events page for more details!
______________________________________
Updated 7/22/2020
The Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce has been watching the global developments of COVID-19, communicating with local and county officials and keeping in compliance with current state mandates and federal recommendations. With the continued presence of COVID-19, the limitations on large gatherings and having the safety of our festival attendees, volunteers and suppliers as our top priority, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the Chincoteague Oyster Festival scheduled for October 10, 2020.
We ask for your patience and understanding during this time as we have limited staff in the office. The refund policy is being reviewed by our Board of Directors and will be announced as soon as possible. We understand many of you may have questions, but we ask that you give us the time to make these necessary notifications and finalize logistics.
We encourage you to support our business community during this difficult time. Businesses are open as well as the hiking and biking trails on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the pristine beach on Assateague Island National Seashore but for the safety of our community, please insure you are healthy before venturing out. If you are sick, please stay home! Our What’s Open on CI? page on ChincoteagueChamber.com has a current listing of business openings/safety modifications as well as event updates. You can also visit our business directory to call for hours of operation. Our accommodations, activities, restaurants, shops, businesses and organizations look forward to seeing you soon. Stay safe, stay healthy and please do your part in containing COVID-19.
______________________________________
Looking for a great way to spotlight your business or organization?
Be an Oyster Festival Sponsor. Click here for the 2019 Oyster Festival Application.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 OYSTER FESTIVAL SPONSORS
Accomack Title & Settlement, Inc.
Aj’s…On The Creek
Best Western
Blue Crab Bay Co.
Captain Dan’s Around The Island Tours
ChincoteagueInnMotel.Com
Chincoteague Resort Vacations
Comfort Suites
Crusty Crab Seafood Shack
Dockside Properties
Don’s Seafood Restaurant
Eastern Shore Signs, LLC
Fairfield By Marriott Chincoteague Island Waterfront
Ginsberg, Nottingham & Mapp
H & H Pharmacy, Inc.
Hampton Inn & Suites
Harbour Rentals, LLC
Hawbaker’s Welding & Fabrication
Island Chiropractic Center
Island Creamery
Island Resort
Key West Cottages
Kiwanis Club Of Chincoteague
Landmark Insurance & Financial Group
Lewis Home Solutions
Long & Foster Chincoteague / Captain’s Cove
Maria’s Family Restaurant
Mister Whippy
Moe’s Service Center & Towing
Mr. Baldy’s Family Restaurant
Mudlark Pottery
Museum of Chincoteague Island
Pfefferkorn’s Coffee
PNC Bank
Ray’s Shanty
Rustic & Rescued Antiques
Sea Shell Motel
Seaside Vacations
Sharp Energy, Inc.
Subway
Sunshine Cottage
Suze Q’s Shear Magic
Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC
Tangier Island Onancock Ferry
Taylor Bank
Virginia & West Virginia Vacation Rentals
Weichert Realtors, Mason-Davis
Whiteraven’s Nest
Enhance your Chincoteague Island experience with events happening throughout the year; including the Easter Decoy & Art Festival, Chincoteague Seafood Festival and Chincoteague Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade.
