Chincoteague Seafood Festival

Tom's Cove Park, 8128 Beebe Road, Chincoteague Island, VA 23336

Date: 5/2/2026
Starts: 10:00 AM
Ends: 4:00 PM

About the 56th Annual Seafood Festival

The Chincoteague Seafood Festival is held the first Saturday in May to promote the seafood industry on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. The festival offers fresh, local seafood and will include exciting offerings and signature dishes from local restaurants as well as old and new Eastern Shore favorites prepared by famous festival cooks, volunteers, and professionals. Indulge on little neck clams, a long-time festival staple, along with raw oysters and clams, clam fritters, single fried oysters, fried fish, crab cheddar jalapeno poppers, steamed shrimp, clam chowder, salad bar, grilled chicken, sweet potato fries, Boardwalk fries, hushpuppies, and cornbread. Non-alcoholic beverages are included in the ticket price with beer available for purchase.

New in 2025, Island Boy Music, who has been rocking the tunes at the Chincoteague Oyster Festival for over 30 years, will provide live entertainment for everyone's listening and dancing enjoyment.

Shop to your hearts content in the Arts and Crafts Corral featuring handmade creations from area artisans. An Extravaganza Raffle is held with the winner receiving t-shirts, tickets, trays, lodging, gift certificates for meals, and much more for the following year’s festival. There will also be a variety of merchandise available for purchase including t-shirts, hats, souvenir food trays, and glass beer mugs.

2026 Seafood Festival Map

Tickets are $65 per person (Children under 5 are FREE)

Add On: Early Access Passes!

For $200 two people can gain access to the festival grounds as early as 9:00am to setup their space. These passes are an add-on and must be purchased in addition to regular tickets. Those who purchase Early Access Pass may take the space they need for their group, but no larger than a 20x20 space. Please be considerate and leave enough space for everyone to enjoy the festival!

TO PURCHASE TICKETS & EARLY ACCESS PASSES:
Call - 757-336-6161
Stop by - 6733 Maddox Blvd. (Located In the circle)
Purchase Online (fees apply)

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!

SPONSORSHIPS & VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES

Support the Chamber with these 2026 Sponsorship and Vendor opportunities!
Sponsorship Opportunities
Hospitality/Vendor Opportunities

FESTIVAL TIMELINE

10:00 am - Gates open NO EARLY ENTRY FOR SETUP Items set up prior to 10am will be removed

11:00 am - Appetizer tents begin serving Clam Chowder, Salad Bar, Boardwalk and Sweet Potato Fries, Hushpuppies, Cornbread, Grilled Chicken, Crab Jalapeno Cheddar Poppers
12:00 pm – Seafood tents begins serving   Raw Oysters & Clams, “Little Neck” Steamed Clams, Single Fried Oysters, Fried Fish, Steamed Shrimp, Clam Fritters, and back again this year - Clam Strips!
                     Live music begins
4:00 pm – Festival ends
6:00 pm –   Festival Grounds clear of all attendees and volunteers - Due to insurance liability purposes

RULES & REGULATIONS

Wear Your Wristband
o All attendees must have a festival wristband prior to entrance to festival grounds.
o E-tickets must be scanned either by scanners at the entrance of Toms Cove Park or at the Will Call tent to acquire festival wristband.

Entering & Exiting
o Attendees can come and go to the festival grounds from 10am – noon.
o After Noon you will not be permitted to re-enter the festival grounds, wristbands will be cut as you exit.

Bring Photo ID
o All attendees age 21 and over MUST provide a photo ID at the beer tent to purchase beer. No exceptions!

Do Not Remove Food from the Festival!
o Eat all you want, but do not remove food from the festival grounds.
o All coolers and bags are subject to search by festival staff and volunteers.

Prohibited on the Festival Grounds
o   Pets
o   Vehicles of ANY kind – including golf cart, one wheels, scooters, and bicycles
o   Fire pits/rings

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!

HELPFUL HINTS: Make Your Festival Experience More Enjoyable

Getting to the Festival

Location: Tom's Cove Park, 8128 Beebe Road, Chincoteague Island, VA 23336.

Parking is very limited and is available on a first come/first serve basis.

o Vehicles will not be admitted to the campground until 8:00a.m.
o Do not park anywhere unless instructed by a parking volunteer.
o Handicap parking and courtesy shuttle are available at the festival grounds.

FREE Pony Express Trolley provided by the Chamber and the Town of Chincoteague from 8AM to 5PM!

o   The trolley will run the GREEN and RED routes on festival day at approximate 30 minute intervals.
o   There will be a direct route between Chincoteague Combined School, 4586 Main Street, and the festival. Parking at the school and taking the trolley is encouraged!
o   Please avoid parking at Veterans Memorial Park and taking the trolley. This is not a direct route and will take you longer to get to the festival than parking at the Chincoteague Combined School.
o   The trolley is handicap accessible.
o   After 5pm the charge is $0.50/person and pick up will be at the trolley hut at the entrance of Tom's Cove Park.
o  Detailed Trolley Information

Walking or biking is also encouraged!

What should I bring?

o Bring Cash - Beer tent, Extravaganza, and desserts only accept cash
o Bring Your Own Tables and Chairs - There are a limited number of picnic tables available. You may wish to bring your own folding tables, chairs, blankets, etc.

How does the “All You Can Eat” work?

o Food Booths - Each booth is marked with a banner noting which item it will serve.
o Expect lines – Lines begin to form prior to service start. Please be patient as we prepare all the food onsite as fast as possible.
o Food Availability – Despite our best efforts to provide enough of each food item, we cannot guarantee that each item will be available until 4pm.
o Two Serving Per trip, Per Person - to alleviate wait times, and give everyone an opportunity to get some of each item.
o Additional Servings - You may go back to each booth as many times as you want!

Are there beverages?

o Water, soda, and coffee are included in the ticket price
o Beer will be sold separately with photo ID, cash only

Is there Merchandise for sale?

o Souvenir Trays will be on sale at the Merchandise and Beer tents. These are great to assist you in carrying your food.
o   Souvenir Mugs will be sold at the Beer tent.
o Souvenir Apparel (short-sleeved t-shirts and hats) will be sold at the Merchandise tent.
o   Merchandise may be available one week prior to festival in the Chamber Office.
o   Merchandise items sell out quickly. We recommend making your purchases early.
o   We accept all major credit cards in the office and on festival day for merchandise.

What Else Should I Know?

o Help us recycle at the Festival! Shell recycling benefits The Nature Conservancy and can recycling benefits Davy's TherAppy Farm
o Extravaganza of Prizes Raffle tickets will be available to festival ticket holders on festival day. The winner is announced at 4pm at the band stand and will receive thousands of dollars in merchandise and certificates. You do not need to be present to win. Cash only.

ACCESSIBILITY

While all are welcome to attend, please note that the festival grounds cover approx. 90,000 sq. feet to accommodate festival tents and almost 3,000 attendees. The festival is held at a campground, so the ground has grassy areas with some tree roots, and gravel roads. Food tents are primarily located on the perimeter of the festival grounds and lines will be long, especially at the beginning of the day. Handicap parking is available on a first come, first serve basis and a courtesy shuttle is available to help transport individuals from handicap parking to the festival grounds.

2026 SPONSORSHIPS & HOSPITALITY/VENDORS

The Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce would like to thank the following for their support and participation:

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Coastal Shore Vacations & Coastal Shore Real Estate
Derrickson Construction, LLC
Seaside Vacations & Sales
Tyson Foods

GOLD SPONSORS

Village Neighbors of Chincoteague Island

SILVER SPONSORS

Chincoteague Island Food Closet
MJ Beach Co.

RADIO SPONSORS

Accomack Title & Settlement, Inc.
Angie Abell @ Beach Bay Realty
Hansen's Craftory
Island Chiropractic Center
Long and Foster Real Estate - Meghan Oliver Clarkson
Rothe
Weichert Realtors, Mason-Davis