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.

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
12:00 pm – Seafood tents begins serving      Raw Oysters & Clams, “Little Neck” Steamed Clams, Single Fried Oysters, Fried Fish, Steamed Shrimp, Clam Fritters, Crab Jalapeno Cheddar Poppers
                     Live music begins
4:00 pm –   Festival ends
6:00 pm –   Festival Grounds clear of all attendees and volunteers – Due to insurance liability purposes

TICKETS
$65 per person (Children under 5 are FREE)
Early Access passes available – 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 only take a space no larger than a 20×20 space. Please leave enough space for everyone to enjoy the festival!
Tickets Can Be Purchased HERE, by calling 757-336-6161, or in person at The Chamber Office & Visitor Center, 6733 Maddox Boulevard, Chincoteague.

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!

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 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!

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.

SPONSORSHIPS & VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES

Check back soon for more information on 2026 Sponsorship and Vendor opportunities!

2025 Sponsorships and Hospitality/Vendors

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

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Coastline Chemical, Inc., Seaside Vacations & Sales, Tyson Foods

GOLD SPONSORS

Derrickson Construction, LLC

SILVER SPONSORS

Atlantic Union Bank, Bay Consortium Workforce Development Board, Coastal Shore Vacations

RADIO SPONSORS

Beach Bay Realty, LLC, H&H Pharmacy, Lewis Home Solutions, Meghan Oliver Clarkson – Long and Foster Real Estate, Rothe Enterprises, Taylor Bank

T-SHIRT SPONSORS

Accomack Title & Settlement, Captain Dan’s Island Tours, Chesapeake Outdoor Advertising, Comfort Suites Chincoteague Island Bayfront Resort, Dockside Properties, Ginsberg, Nottingham and Mapp, Hadley Chloe, Hawbaker’s Welding & Fabrication, Island Getaways, LLC, Key West Cottages, Kiwanis Club of Chincoteague, Landmark Insurance & Financial Group, Michael’s Jewelry, Inc., Mister Whippy, Ray’s Shanty, Ropewalk, Sea Shell Motel, Sunshine Cottage, Tangier Island-Onancock Ferry, The Island Theatre, Waterside Inn, Weichert Realtors, Mason-Davis

FRIENDS OF THE FESTIVAL

Davis Disposal Company, Don’s Seafood Restaurant, Moore’s Portable Solutions, Sysco Eastern Maryland LLC, WatsonGas

HOSPITALITY

Fin Hunter, Rayo Del Sol, Shellfish Growers of VA, Virginia Spaceport Authority

ARTS & CRAFTS CORRAL

A Grandpups Homemade Treat Co., Clare’s Nutty Concoctions, Donna’s Crochet and Cross Stitch, Hooked on Stitches, M.A.D. Trucker Hats, Pamela & Rose’s One of a King, Route 13 Sauce Company