Blaine Oysterfest Grand Success

Saturday, May 20 th on the shores of Blaine-by-the-Sea, crowds of thousands gathered to enjoy and celebrate the bodacious bivalves of Drayton Harbor. Oysters, skillfully farmed, harvested, and stewarded by the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company Crew, took center-stage at the 2nd annual Blaine Oysterfest.

Blaine Chamber of Commerce, the City of Blaine, and the Drayton Harbor Oyster (DHO) Company Team collaborated to manage this year’s festival. DHO planned ahead and had plenty of oysters shucked and ready-to-grill/slurp. However, Saturday’s perfect weather combined with the 3-day weekend of Victoria Day in B.C., the DHO team had to bring in the super shuckers for several hours to prep more oysters for the crowd that kept comin’ and clamorin’ for more oysters! Between the Raw Bar and the 5 grilled oyster menu items, the attendees consumed well over 12,500 oysters between noon and 8 p.m. Shucks Yes!

Both the G Street and H Street Plazas overlooking the Harbor were packed with food stations, arts & crafts fun, a full lineup of local bands, beer gardens, and more. Members of the Working Waterfront Coalition volunteered as servers/runners/recycle shepherds, and more. Proceeds from the event supported several nonprofits as well as the important water quality sampling program necessary to ensure that Drayton Harbor remains a safe oyster-producing bay.

We’re already eagerly awaiting the date for next year’s round #3 of the Blaine Oysterfest!