NAROOMA OYSTER FESTIVAL 3-4 MAY 2024
Join growers, chefs and shuckers to celebrate the marvellous Rock Oyster on the shores of Wagonga Inlet at Narooma, the land of clear, blue water.
Narooma Oyster festival: celebrate Rock Oyster Country
Set in the heart of Rock Oyster Country, the Narooma Oyster Festival is a favourite on the New South Wales food and drinks calendar. Held annually on the first weekend of May, the festival is more than Australia’s grandest oyster party – it’s a tribute to the South Coast’s native rock oysters and their dedicated growers
Be part of the excitement at Australia’s Oyster Shucking Championships, where farmers vie for the chance to represent the nation in the World Oyster Opening Championships. And don’t miss the spectacle of Australia’s Biggest Oyster – you won’t believe how big an oyster can grow!
Brought to you by Narooma Rocks and other major sponsors, the two day program blends cosmopolitan and Indigenous food experiences with transformative tastings, live music, gourmet food markets, and an impressive selection of celebrated beers, wines, and spirits. Each year around 70,000 Rock Oysters are shucked and quaffed after making their way to Narooma from award winning estuaries along the New South Wales coastline—the only place where they naturally grow in the whole world.
Meet the farmers in Oyster Farmers Alley, embark on the Ultimate Oyster Experience, and explore the inlet’s award-winning oyster leases on a Champagne and Oyster Cruise. You can even expand your culinary knowledge in cooking demonstrations with local, regional, and celebrated chefs.
Elevate your festival experience with the Taste of the South on Friday evening and the Rock Oyster Lounge on Saturday, May 4
Narooma Oyster Festival Tickets
Tickets go on sale in February 2024. Experience a sea of flavours, live entertainment, and the finest oyster delicacies that will leave you craving more. Subscribe to be among the first to know when tickets go on sale and be prepared to dive into a shell-abration that will transform your senses!
Leave the car at home, there’s a free shuttle bus round town, and ticketed coaches from Batemans Bay to Bermagui.
Leave the car at home, there’s a free shuttle bus round town and coaches from Batemans Bay to Bermagui.
Narooma Oyster Festival Program
Friday Night 5 May
Narooma Oyster Festival warm up
From 4.00pm to 8.30pm
Tickets at the gate
A twilight affair that ends with fireworks over the water.
- Club Narooma Main Stage
- Narooma Rocks Oyster Bar
- Festival Oyster & Liquor Bar
- River of Art projections
- Selected food vendors
- Long Table Dinner
- Yuin Native Food Exploration
- Fireworks at 8.30pm
Saturday 6 May
Oyster Festival Celebrations
From 10.00am to 5.30pm
Tickets at the gate
- Oyster Farmers Alley
- Australia’s Oyster Shucking Championships
- Australia’s Biggest Oyster
- Yuin Bunaan Cultural Program
- Betta Cooking Demonstration Program
- Narooma Plaza Kids Zone
- Live music on two stages
- Producers, distillers, brewers and winemakers
- River of Art
- Food and Market stalls
- Ultimate Oyster Experiences
- Champagne and Oyster Cruises
- Rock Oyster Lounge
- Salty Festival Fiesta, by Olssons
- Free shuttle bus in Narooma
- Coaches from Batemans Bay to Bermagui
Sunday 6 May
Inaugural breakfast- a Hangtown Fry!
From 9.30am to 12.00pm
Start the day right with a hearty Hangtown Fry at Club Narooma, our inaugural Sunday breakfast!
A dish born on the Californian Goldfields, the Hangtown Fry combines crumbed oysters and bacon inside a soft pillow of fluffy eggs. These were expensive ingredients to buy and transport to the goldfields, and so the Hangtown Fry was a dish usually reserved for the rich and for the condemned, who often chose it for their last meal.
Settle in on the lawns or inside with a reviving beverage and fill your belly, there will also be live tunes and full club facilities.
Discover more on Sunday
Explore Narooma and surrounds
Narooma is one of the most spectacular and picturesque towns on the NSW south coast, with a series of sweeping bends leading you to the stunning aquamarine waters of the estuary and old steel bridge. The Wagonga Inlet and bay waters are instantly inviting, and the urge to pull over and immerse yourself in the landscape is hard to resist.
When the festival is over, take some time out to explore the stunning coastline, landmarks and precincts of Narooma and nearby localities.
Discover the beauty of Mystery Bay, the heritage villages of the Tilba District and historic Bodalla.
There are plenty of reasons to stay longer in Narooma.
Read more about about the fascinating world of oysters in these feature articles Merroir and Oysters and Guardians of the sea
