Second-Annual Austin Oyster Festival Treats Guests to Ocean of Seafood Delicacies - Austin, Texas

Second-Annual Austin Oyster Festival Treats Guests

to an Ocean of Seafood Delicacies:

Revamped Event Includes Expanded Food-and-Drink Offerings, Live Music, 

VIP Happy Hour and Local Artists’ Market

The second-annual Austin Oyster Festival returns for another year of delectable dining experiences, food-and-beverage pairings, live music, local artists’ market and entertainment — all for a good cause. Hosted at the contemporary Shoal Crossing Event Center, 8611 N. MoPac Expressway on Sunday, Nov. 3, a portion of the proceeds from this year’s Austin Oyster Festival will benefit the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch. General admission is from 1 to 6 p.m., following a special VIP Happy Hour sponsored by Kinky Friedman’s Man in Black Tequila from noon to 1 p.m.  VIP ticketholders receive free mimosas and Bloody Marias and promotional giveaways from noon to 1 p.m., reserved seating, and VIP parking.

The afternoon’s tempting menu will honor the pearl of the sea, the oyster, by presenting the tasty bi-valve in a variety of delectable forms. The Raw Bar will include a selection of premium East Coast oysters from locales such as Maine, Canada, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, as well as colossal, juicy Gulf oysters by the dozens, oyster shooters and buckets of peel-and-eat shrimp. The Grill Bar will feature grilled oysters au gratin and Oysters Rockefeller, and the Fry Bar will include savory fried oyster and fried shrimp po’boys, as well as pommes frites and old fashioned fried doughnuts.

A new addition to the festival this year, the Bloody Mary Bar will feature the debut of the Bloody Royale, an outrageous, must-try Bloody Mary topped with a briny oyster on the half shell, jumbo shrimp and pickled green beans, as well as the Hot & Spicy Kinky Maria featuring Man in Black’s premium Plata Tequila. A variety of specialty cocktails and local craft beers at the Topo Chico Beverage Bar will offer guests plenty of drink-pairing choices for their favorite festival dishes.  

DJ Chino Casino will keep the beat from noon to 3 p.m. with blues, jazz and zydeco tunes, and Austin’s own Topaz & Mudphonic takes the stage from 3 to 6 p.m to deliver their homegrown soulful backwoods Texas grooves. The on-site artists’ market will include an eclectic mix of local vendors retailing a variety of handmade wares and goods.    

VIP tickets ($75 per person) to the Austin Oyster Festival include early entry and access to the special VIP Happy Hour, live entertainment, five food and beverage vouchers, VIP parking and reserved seating.

General admission ($50 per person) to the Austin Oyster Festival includes entry, live entertainment and five food-and-beverage vouchers redeemable at any food station (Raw, Grill, Fry, Bloody Mary and Beverage Bar). Additional vouchers may be purchased inside the festival.

Tickets should be purchased in advance for the Austin Oyster Festival at www.AustinOysterFestival.com.  Additional tickets may be available at the door on the day of the event.

The second-annual Austin Oyster Festival is a production of food-centric events producer Seventy7Degrees LLC. The event will feature a variety of live entertainment, food-and-beverage pairings and an artists’ market, and will benefit the nonprofit Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch. For more information about the Austin Oyster Festival, visit www.AustinOysterFestival.com.