When?

October

Where?

Falmouth

Falmouth Oyster Festival is held for four days every October as a celebration of Cornish seafood, especially oysters, which are found naturally around Falmouth. October is also the start of the oyster-dredging season, when fishermen collect the local Fal oysters for people to eat.

Oyster boat on the River Fal
Traditional oyster boats on the Fal, 1980s Reproduced courtesy of Andrew Besley as featured on cornishmemory.com
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Throughout the festival there are craft stalls, live entertainment and the opportunity to see cookery demonstrations from a variety of chefs. On the Friday there is a “Grand Oyster Parade” featuring local children, who process through the town centre, some carrying images of the sea and seafood. One of the highlights of the festival is the “shucking” competition. Shucking is the process of opening and preparing oysters to eat.

Traditional oyster boats on the River Fal
Traditional oyster boats on the Fal, 1980s
Reproduced courtesy of Andrew Besley as featured on cornishmemory.com

Fal oysters are famous for their quality and are a different species to Pacific oysters, which are the best-known variety and the most commonly eaten.

CONTRIBUTE TO THIS ARTICLE BY EMAILING YOUR IMAGES, VIDEOS OR TEXT TO CORNWALLFE@GMAIL.COM.

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