New Orleans Oyster Festival

I love this fest!!I only got to go Sunday (2017).Saw a couple of awesome bands, and had some great food. Antoine's had an Oysters, baby scallops, and peas penne pasta in a white wine sauce topped with a two cheese mix and panko. Let me say, for $8, it was a generous portion ....but even more importantly, it was generous on flavor!I have been saving up to go to Antoines, but I'm going to have to go anyway (lol). I was completely satisfied.I also had a Fried Oyster Po boy from Acme Oyster House. I think it was ok, but the bun to oyster ratio was not in the oyster's favor.The Brass-O-Holics are an awesome group, and their unique twist on classic R&B and hip hop had the crowd dancing, and grooving. Excellent musicians, soloists, and very tight. I will look for them again.Although I didn't get to hear/see Bag O Donuts, I've seen them before and they are also, and excellent, entertaining group.

This was my first time going to oyster fest and I was only there for 30 minutes because of the dreadful Summer heat! Other than the heat, the food was delicious!(Fave to least)Red Fish GrillOyster BBQ Po-boyThis was probably my top favorite out of all the vendors! I mean you get some mad flavor from the crystal bbq and the blue cheese dressing cool down some of the spice - perfect combo!Trennese Oyster Ceviche Oh this was great especially being in the heat. This came with 4 total and each topped with shrimp chunks, white fish, and bell peppers - very delicious and fresh.Mac n' Cheese with Boudin The shell pasta was perfectly cooked and the cheese was the perfect consistency. I can't recall oyster being in this dish but it was defiantly seafood mixed in. DTBOyster and GritsNice texture in the grits with pickled veggies on top! Corn meal oysters were a bit small, but the overall flavors were on point. Little Korea BBQIce Pops - (Mango, Vietnamese Coffee, Cherry & Chocolate Chips)My favorite had to be the mango! It had a nice and smooth texture, very refreshing. My only request is changing the date to a cooler season. I wasn't able to enjoy my time at the festival because I spent my time complaining about the heat. I'm apologizing for not having the prices because it was too hot and I was too lazy to take a photo of each vendor. I will do better next year!

Oyster Festival is usually held the first weekend of June in Woldenberg Riverfront Park. It's usually Saturday and Sunday. I went on a Sunday and it seemed to have less people. They have a lot of other food besides oysters if you're not a fan of oysters. My friends and I ordered the raw oysters from Felix's, the charboiled oysters from Drago's, boiled crayfish from Superior, alligator cheesecake from Jacques Imo's, and rainbow snowball from Nola Snoballs. There was a good variety of items and it was not that crowded. The lines moved fast and you only wait about 5-10 minutes for food. The prices were not bad either and you can try a lot of things from places that are a bit far from the French Quarter. My favorite was the charboiled oysters from Drago's, it was hot and delicious. They also have live music and oyster eating contests. It was super hot but there were shaded tents with seating which was great. It's definitely worth checking out!

Oyster fest is one of my favorite festivals in New Orleans! It is smaller than many of the other festivals and much less crowded! I love the chill atmosphere and it's a great place to go to chill out, eat some delicious food, and listen to some good music!Why it rocks:Free to get in and nobody stopping and checking bags at the entrance so there isn't a wait! Great location! Right on the water behind the aquarium. Even though this festival is at the beginning of June, the location on the water means there is a nice breeze. The location is big enough for the people and vendors and didn't seem to be very packed. There are always lots of great food options and the lines never seem to be too long! Which is so surprising given that the festival is free! There are lots and lots of oysters but other seafood dishes if oysters aren't your cup of tea. My absolute favorite vendor year after year is Ajun Cajun. Their catfish poboy ROCKS!!!! Lightly fried catfish with delicious spicy mayo. The portion is also huge for the price ($8)! They also have a soft shell crab poboy for $12 that I've been meaning to try too (in addition to an oyster poboy of course). There are also many other vendors such as Dragos for charbroiled oysters, red fish grill, Jacques imos, etc.I highly recommend checking out oyster fest! While I don't want it to get overly crowded, people deserve to know about this wonderful festival that occurs at the beginning of June!

My husband and I were super excited for the Oyster Festival, but so sad that it was pouring buckets of rain on the Saturday of the Festival. But have no fear, New Orleans knows how to put on a great festival, rain or shine. Festival attendees, live music, and food was all out in full force despite the weather. And we loved it! We hid under the big tent and ran out to the various stands to buy favorite oyster and seafood treats. Our faves were the Smoked Fried Oysters w/ Garlic Aioli from Grand Isle and White Beans, Rice, & Shrimp from Cafe Reconcile. The location was fantastic, right on the river. We had planned to try Drago's chargrilled oysters (looked amazing) but missed out on that this year -- will have to come back again.

If you feel eyes on you while you are eating, I am not stalking you, just your food. My habit of staring at other people's food led me to a breakfast conversation with a NOLA local, leading him to tell us there was an Oyster Fest at Woldenberg Park. And what a fest it was, so far from your pedestrian street fair featuring mediocre food. Rather this was a spectacular showcase for some of the finest restaurants in NOLA, all featuring the bivalve. Among the notables, Antoine's, Arnold's, GW Fins, Red Fish Grill, Galetoise, Dragos, Café Reconcile..the list goes on. The food was so good, we roamed there after breakfast, ate some oyster fare for second breakfast(like the Hobbits), then came back for an early dinner. Most of the food ranged from $7-$10, with good portions in general(not skimpy like at our own Brooklyn Smorgasburg). I was so excited eating all the stuff I forgot to take pics for Yelp.Red Fish Grill: They won best po boy of the prior fest in 2013 and it's easy to see why. Plump oysters were fried in a light cornmeal batter, then coated with this amazing, scrumptious buffalo dressing..tangy , spicy and so addictively delicious. A nice size portion for $8, though we did notice with a repeat that the sandwich was 1 inch smaller. I guess they were running out of food. The bread itself was the hopelessly bad NOLA French bread, but at least it was edible. I could have eaten plates of this without the bread had I more than one stomach.Royal House: Tasty shrimp and grits though a small portion for $7. 3 shrimps on a small bowl of grits. Delicious, all tasters agreed.Dragos: Superb chargrilled oysters. Easy to see why they are famous in NOLA for the chargrilled oysters. If you have to eat one thing at Dragos, try these. A half dozen was $9. Our only gripe was that the butter, parmesan garlic sauce was too sparse to try to sop up with the dreaded NOLA French bread. Only the downpour chased away the line for them.Acme Oyster Restaurant: Amazing fresh oysters, plump, juicy and sweet. The shrimp po boy was only okay, and served at room temperature. The bread at the fest was perhaps stale from all the humidity and the small sweet Gulf shrimp were in too heavy a cornmeal coating. They only needed a light dusting of cornflour to be perfect. We thought Acme excelled in their oysters(having visited the restaurant also) but their shrimp dishes were not extraordinary. A nice size sandwich for $8.NOLA Snow Snowballs-a big cup for $3, select your flavors from an assortment of day glo. I forgot what flavor I had taken but knew it was refreshing on a hot, humid day. It's call slurping too fast to recall. $1 more gives you toppings like evaporated milk, coconut etc.Haydel's Key Lime Pie-$5, nice tart flavor, heavier graham crust. Steve's from Red Hook still holds my heart for key lime pie.Beverages-the local beer, Abita abounded and also water. Wine was also sold. We stuck to water. We wanted to savor every bite, sober.Vendors were in stands surrounding a huge tent where tables and chairs were available for diners. On and off thunderstorms made us grateful for the shelter.The music, true to NOLA, was great, with an area for bring your own chairs, standing room, or horizontal inclinations(for those who had imbibed way too much beer). We couldn't remember any names but loved the music.The fest is a great way to spend what could easily be an entire day. It's free, not overly crowded but unfortunately over by 7pm. Bring a group and sample different foods, like we did. These restaurants are proud of what they put out, and it shows in the quality of the food served there. We had a cloudy, rainy day but bring sunscreen, sit on the grass or chairs and chow down to live music. Do not skip this festival if you happen to be in NOLA when it's held.

The oyster fest is nice mainly because it's one of the smaller fests in the area.There are all kinds of awesome oyster based foods from all around the city. My favorite, the oyster po boy, never disappoints. There are also bands and live music so you can have a good time while you eat. The fest is held at Woldenberg park, so you can watch the river as you eat and relax.The only complaint is that it happens right at the cusp of Spring and Summer, so the heat can be pretty intense. Don't forget your sunscreen!

This is a pretty tiny festival compared to some of the others but it brings some heavy hitters in for food vendors. The food has always been among the best... of course I do love oysters so I might be a bit partial. This event has been growing bigger and better every year so enjoy it before it gets too popular. The main negative about this fest is that the time of year they have it makes it really hard to bear the heat for long periods of time.

While it may be small as far as "festivals" go, Oyster Fest is one of the most delicious. The big names in oysters all come out. Acme, Drago's, Andrea's, Antoine's, Borgne....the list goes on.Best dishes this year: fried oyster foi gras fron Elizabeth's, Drago's char grilled oysters, and Chilled Oysters with Mignonette Sorbet from RioMar. Add in some fantastic music and a big tent with shade and tables and it's a fantastic afternoon.There's more than two dozen food booths plus tents to instructional programs, like cooking demos and oyster heritage. Even some jewelry and other decorations for you house.Put it on your calendar and don't miss out next year.

What a fun festival! There was a wonderful variety of talented musicians and a handful of great vendors to check out. All the food that was sampled was amazing, and the lines were super quick to get through! That's a lot to say after being to several festivals in the city. I would definitely attend this one and tell other people about it in the future!