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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.
WHEN
The Chincoteague Oyster Festival is held every year on the Saturday of Columbus Day Weekend from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
WHERE
Tom’s Cove Park
8128 Beebe Road, Chincoteague, VA 23336
Locate the Festival on Google Maps
TICKETS
Tickets are $55 per person (Children under 5 are FREE). Tickets are limited, so purchase them early. This is a sell out event!
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.
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
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
FESTIVAL RULES
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.
HELPFUL HINTS
There are only a limited number of tables available for you to sit. You may wish to bring your own folding tables, chairs, blankets, etc. for your comfort.
We encourage you to ride the FREE Pony Express trolley provided by the Town of Chincoteague. Parking is available at the campground but is limited.
Festival food is served from various booths requiring you to go to each one to get what you want to eat. Souvenir trays will be on sale at the Merchandise and Beer tents to assist you in carrying your food or you may bring your own. Soft Drinks and Water are provided in the ticket price. Food will be limited per trip, per person, at each booth to allow everyone to get something without having to wait a long time. You may come back later for more.
Beer will be sold separately. All attendees age 21 and over MUST provide a photo ID at the beer tent in order to purchase beer. No exceptions! Beer tent only accepts cash, so please come prepared!
Souvenirs will be sold at the festival. Please keep in mind that these items sell out quickly. You might want to purchase them as soon as the gates open. There will be t-shirts, mugs, trays and hats. Merchandise is also available one week prior to festival in the Chamber Office. We accept all major credit cards in the office and on festival day for merchandise.
Help us recycle! Shell and can recycling are available during the festival. Please do your part in helping our environment.
Tickets for the Extravaganza of Prizes Raffle will be available to festival ticket holders on festival day. The winner is announced at 4pm at the band stand and will receive t-shirts, trays, tickets, lodging, gift certificates for meals and much more for the following year’s festival. You do not need to be present to win.
Tickets sell out quickly so we urge you to purchase tickets early as they may not be available at the gate since we tend to sell out before the day of the festival. Buy online, call 757-336-6161, or visit the Chamber office in the circle at 6733 Maddox Boulevard with any major credit card.
DIRECTIONS & PARKING
Tom’s Cove Park
8128 Beebe Road
Chincoteague Island, VA 23336
Locate the festival on Google Maps
Handicap parking and courtesy shuttle are available at the festival grounds.
Limited parking is available at the campground, so we encourage attendees to ride the Pony Express trolley.
The trolley will run the GREEN ROUTE on festival day which stops near most motels and campgrounds for your convenience at approximate 30 minute intervals. The trolley will also stop at the Chincoteague Combined School, 4586 Main Street, for day trippers. Once parked at the school, call 757-854-8572 and the dispatcher will send the trolley your way! The trolley is handicap accessible.
PONY EXPRESS TROLLEY SERVICE IS OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE TO OUR FESTIVAL ATTENDEES FROM 9AM TO 5PM!
After 5pm the charge is $0.50 or 2 tokens per person and pick up will be at the trolley hut at the entrance of Tom’s Cove Park on Ridge Road.
GETTING HERE FROM THE NORTH:
US Rt. 50 East to Salisbury MD…US Rt. 13 South to VA…Left on Hwy 175 East
GETTING HERE FROM THE SOUTH:
I-64 TO Exit 282…Follow US Rt. 13 North across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and up the Eastern Shore of VA…Right on Hwy 175 East
Use 8128 Beebe Road Chincoteague Island, VA 23336 for GPS settings or to get directions from MapQuest or other online map sites.
Visit www.chincoteague.com for lodging and other activities happening festival weekend.
