Around 30,000 people descended on Falmouth for this year’s Falmouth Oyster Festival, marking the start of the native oyster season with four days of live music, chef demonstrations and the very best of Cornish food and drink.

At the heart of it all was the star of the show: the Falmouth native oyster. Some 15,000 natives were sold across the festival weekend, a fitting tribute to one of the last oyster fisheries in Europe still harvested by sail and oar. Falmouth’s oystermen continue to work the Fal estuary using traditional sailing workboats and hand-hauled dredges, a centuries-old method that protects the oyster beds and keeps a unique piece of Cornish maritime heritage alive. The festival signals the opening of the native oyster season, which runs from October to March.

Visitors enjoyed a packed weekend of live music alongside cookery demonstrations from some of the best chefs in the business, including Jude Kereama of Kota Kai, Guy Owen of Idle Rocks and Ben Harrison of Counter Culture, each showcasing the quality of Cornwall’s produce and the people behind it.

The festival market was busy all weekend. Created in collaboration with Cornwall Food & Farming and Cornwall Shop Small, it brought together local producers, makers and independent businesses, making it a real celebration of what makes Cornish food and drink so special.

A highlight of the programme was the Native Oyster Panel Discussion, brilliantly hosted by Elliot Kett of Kelp Canteen. Elliot was joined by local oystermen Paddy Vinnicombe and Jason Pascoe, alongside Nigel Carpenter, chairman of St Michaels Hotel, for a lively conversation about the Fal fishery, the sail-and-oar tradition and the future of Falmouth’s native oysters.

Community spirit ran throughout the weekend. Betty fundraised for the Fishermen’s Mission and Children’s Hospice South West, raising over £4,000 for the two charities, both of which play a vital role in Cornwall’s coastal and family communities.

The festival would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors. A big thank you to St Michaels Hotel, Cornish Dairy, Verdant Brewing Co, Camel Valley and Tarquin’s for helping to make this year’s event such a success.

Tim Vigus, organiser of the Falmouth Oyster Festival, says: “What a weekend. To welcome such vast numbers of people and support Falmouth’s native oyster fishery with such a fun weekend, is a great tribute to our local oystermen. Falmouth is one of the last places in Europe where oysters are still harvested under sail and oar, and that tradition is what this festival is all about.

A huge thank you to the oystermen, chefs, traders, sponsors and everyone who came along, and congratulations to Betty on raising over £4,000 for two fantastic causes. We can’t wait to do it all again from 7 to 10 October 2027.