It was like old times on the plaza during the June 10 Arcata Bay Oyster Festival: friends hugging and balancing topped up beers, lines for the food vendors lining the sidewalks and bands playing the main stage for an audience of dancers and picnickers in the grass. The official head count isn’t in yet but, […]
oysters
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos: Oyster Fest’s Return to the Plaza
The crowds, vendors and bands were back in their old stomping grounds for the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival. The official count of attendees hasn’t been released yet but by noon, the masses lining up for oysters and other festival eats resembled pre-pandemic crowds. Photographer Mark Larson was on the scene for the oyster calling and […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Oyster Fest Hopes to Pack the Plaza Again
The last time revelers swarmed the Arcata Plaza for Oyster Fest was 2019, the pre-pandemic Before Times, when long lines, sunburn and a hangover were the looming fears. Following two years of virtual events and a ticketed in-person event in the Creamery District last June, the annual bivalve bacchanalia is set to take over the […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Oyster Fest’s Rocky Return
An hour into the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival, the lines for oysters at the Obento stall stretched across the battered grass and under the red and blue striped tent where local food businesses were tabling. The shade was a relief on a sunny day that promised traditional Oyster Fest sunburns, but those in the queue […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Choose Your Own Oyster Fest Adventure
In the middle of planning for its annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival last year, the folks at Arcata Main Street made the bold shift to a virtual event. With the March declaration of shelter in place and a spring of gradually climbing COVID-19 case numbers, most festivals here and across the country were canceling. But […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Oyster Fest 2020 Winners
You wouldn’t know it from looking at the plaza but on Saturday the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival held its 30th annual event. This time, due to the ban on mass gatherings to slow the spread of COVID-19, Arcata Main Street held the food festival virtually with host Shoshanna introducing live streaming musical guests, pre-recorded video […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Online Oyster Fest’s Menu
Like the mollusk itself, much of the information about this weekend’s Arcata Bay Oyster Festival developed in secret. But now, on the cusp of its opening, the slow rollout of details is complete and all is revealed, including the players and schedule for this first virtual iteration of the annual food festival. A press release […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Arcata Main Street’s Virtual Oyster Fest Kits
As the rollout of details about this month’s virtual Oyster Fest continues, Arcata Main Street has unveiled its kits for celebrating at home. The at-home festival packages are available for pre-order through the organization’s website for $140-$160. They include beer, wine or cider from local purveyors Eel River Brewing Co., Mad River Brewing Co., Gyppo Ale […]
Posted inEat + Drink
A Virtual Oyster Fest
As the days grow warmer and COVID-19 lingers, bivalve enthusiasts have wondered what’s to become of the 30th annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival, née Oyster Fest. On Saturday, May 23, the answer came, at least partially, from Arcata Main Street’s Facebook page and website. The all-day seafood, beer and music binge is going virtual June […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Oyster Fest Shucks Crowds for Virtual Event
As the days grow warmer and COVID-19 lingers, bivalve enthusiasts have wondered what’s to become of the 30th annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival, née Oyster Fest. Today the answer came, at least partially, from Arcata Main Street’s Facebook page and website. The all-day seafood, beer and music binge is going virtual on June 20. “We […]
Posted inEat + Drink
What’s Good Roundup
Cocina on the Green The incongruity of a Mexican restaurant on the grounds of a golf course lessens as you sit in a snug window booth at Cocina Mariposa (4750 Fairway Drive, Eureka), which you enter via the pro shop, and watch the sunset. On a recent rainy evening, when a lone golfer was whacking […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Photos from Shuck Yeah
Did the out-of-town beer at Oyster Fest leave you with a bitter taste? If it did (or if you just didn’t want to drive up to Arcata) there was Shuck Yeah, an alternative celebration with local suds and oysters at the Eel River Brewing Co. this past weekend. The multi-brewery collaboration featured music by The […]