Galway International Oyster Festival facts for kids

The Galway International Oyster Festival is a super fun food festival that happens every year in Galway, a city on the west coast of Ireland. It takes place on the last weekend of September. This is when the oyster season officially begins! The festival started way back in 1954. It was the idea of Brian Collins, who was the manager of the Great Southern Hotel (which is now called Hotel Meyrick). In 2000, a newspaper called the Sunday Times even said it was "one of the 12 greatest shows on earth"!

How the Festival Started

The Galway International Oyster Festival was created to celebrate the special "Galway Native Oyster." These oysters are a unique part of Galway city and the surrounding area. Brian Collins, the hotel manager, wanted to find something exciting to bring more visitors to Galway. September used to be a much quieter month for tourism.

Collins talked about his idea with people from Guinness and Patrick M. Burke's Bar in Clarenbridge. Together, they launched the very first Galway Oyster Festival in 1954. Only 34 people attended that first event, but it grew a lot from there!

Where the Festival Has Been

The festival was first held in Clarenbridge village during the day. At night, events took place at the Great Southern Hotel in Galway City. This continued until the mid-1980s. After that, all the festival activities moved to the city center of Galway.

For a while, there was a big red and white striped tent, called a marquee. It was first set up near the Spanish Arch. Later, it moved to Nimmo's Pier, close to the Claddagh area. In 2009, the festival moved to The Radisson Hotel Galway to help lower ticket prices. But people really missed the big tent! So, in 2011, the marquee came back. It was set up in the Docks area. At this time, the festival also changed its name to the Galway International Oyster & Seafood Festival. In 2014, which was the 60th anniversary of the event, it returned to its original spot at the Galway City Fishmarket near the Spanish Arch.

Fun Festival Events

The festival has some exciting competitions! These include two Oyster Opening Championships. There's the Irish Oyster Opening Championship, where people from Ireland compete. Then there's the World Oyster Opening Championship, where people from all over the world show off their skills.

Clarenbridge Oyster Festival

Clarenbridge was the original home of the Galway Oyster Festival. Today, Clarenbridge village runs its own separate event called the Clarenbridge Oyster Festival. The organizers of this festival also say it started in 1954.

External links

• Galway International Oyster Festival website