Wellfleet OysterFest 2019 will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 19-20, rain or shine. General admission tickets are $10 per day. Shellfishermen and food vendors will line Main Street to peddle their wares and chat with customers about Wellfleet’s unique shellfishing community. Wellfleet SPAT (Shellfish Promotion and Tasting), the festival’s organizer, has put together programs of live music, culinary and educational events, gallery tours, and related performances around town (and into Truro) that will extend the celebration into the evening.
Saturday, Oct. 19
9:15 a.m.: Shellfish Grant Tour
Mayo Beach, 35 Kendrick Ave.
Free
Tour a shellfish farm on the intertidal flats with SPAT board member Jake Puffer and Wellfleet’s assistant shellfish constable, Johnny “Clam” Mankevetch.
10 a.m.: OysterFest 2019 Kickoff and Main Street Festival
Main Street
The OysterFest officially begins. No pets or outside alcohol are permitted.
10 a.m.-noon: Pickle Ball Round Robin
Mayo Beach Tennis Courts, 70 Kendrick Ave.
$10, register at (508) 379-0314
Proceeds of the pickle ball match will go to the Wellfleet Recreation Dept.
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Mimosa Bar
Simone Reagor Hall at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St.
Enjoy mimosas, wine, and snacks in a quieter spot above the crowds.
10:15-11:15 a.m.: Wicked Blues
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
The band Wicked Blues will perform blues-borne rock music, with an added flair of samba and funk.
10:30-11 a.m.: Talk: “What Is Nature Telling Us About Climate Change?”
Wellfleet Public Library, 55 W. Main St.
Discuss how climate change is affecting the geographical distribution of species with Robert Prescott, the recently retired director of Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary.
11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Family Fun Area
Wellfleet Preservation Hall garden, 335 Main St.
The family area will feature performances, educational displays, craft activities, moon bones, face painting, and food. In the afternoon, Toe Jam Puppet Band will offer kid- and adult-friendly entertainment.
11 a.m.-noon: Go Shuck Yourself
Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St.
Tickets $45, include admission to OysterFest; register online at wellfleetspat.org.
Learn how to shuck oysters with the pros — champions of the Shuck-off. Each participant will get 12 oysters to shuck and eat, plus their own oyster knife and glove to keep.
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: “Life by the Tides: Wellfleet’s Shellfishing Community”
Wellfleet Public Library, 55 W. Main St.
Free
Photographer Julia Comes and shellfisherman Jake Puffer will discuss the special community of shellfishers in Wellfleet and how they grow their famous oysters.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Dirty Water Dance Band
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
Dance to this six-piece ensemble’s music, known for its dirty-reggae sound.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Shuck-off Preliminaries
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
The first round of oyster shucking competition begins! Register to compete at the admissions booth by noon.
1-2 p.m.: “Right Whales, Right Now”
Wellfleet Public Library, 55 W. Main St.
Free
Center for Coastal Studies scientists discuss the endangered right whale.
1:30-3:30 p.m.: “Taste of the Merroir & Terroir”
Wellfleet Preservation Hall lower level, 335 Main St.
Sold out
With wine experts, experience the variations in taste of Wellfleet oysters harvested from various parts of the bay when paired with fine wine.
3 p.m. (kids under 12) & 4 p.m. (12-plus & adults): OysterFest Spelling Bee
Wellfleet Public Library, 55 W. Main St.
Free, register by 2:30 p.m.
Children and adults test their spelling prowess with beekeeper Ed Miller.
3:30-5 p.m.: Funktapuss
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
Join the band for a rousing mix of soul, funk, and R&B.
5-8 p.m.: Art and Oyster Crawl
Tickets $40 at wellfleetspat.org
On Saturday evening, after the day’s festivities have died down, join Wellfleet shellfish farmers, wine and beer reps, and a SPAT board member at galleries around town for sips of wine and slurps of oysters while viewing the collections at Burdick Art Gallery, Cove Gallery, Harmon Gallery, Left Bank Gallery, and The Works Gallery.
7 p.m.: Joe Louis Walker
Payomet Performing Arts Center, 29 Old Dewline Road, North Truro
Tickets $15-$35 at payomet.org
Blues Hall of Fame guitar virtuoso Joe Louis Walker performs live at the Payomet tent.
7:30 p.m.: “Wrinkles, the Musical”
Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, 2357 Route 6
Tickets $12-$40 at what.org
A diverse group of older women join together to share their triumphs and struggles in a musical revue.
Sunday, Oct. 20
9 a.m.: Shuck ’n’ Run 5k Road Race
Course begins at the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot, 2393 Route 6
$25, register online at wellfleetspat.org
Stretch your legs (and flatten your beer belly) with a run along Cove Road to Pilgrim Spring Road, then back out to Indian Neck Beach.
10 a.m.: Shellfish Grant Tour
Mayo Beach, 35 Kendrick Ave.
Free
Tour a shellfish aquaculture farm on the intertidal flats with SPAT board member Jake Puffer and Wellfleet’s assistant shellfish constable, Johnny “Clam” Mankevetch.
10 a.m.-4 p.m.: Mimosa Bar
Simone Reagor Hall at Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St.
Enjoy mimosas, wine and snacks in a quieter spot above the crowds.
10:15-11:15 a.m.: The Hurricane
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
Boogie with some rock, blues, and Americana.
11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Family Fun Area
Wellfleet Preservation Hall garden, 335 Main St.
The family area will feature performances, educational displays, craft activities, moon bones, face-painting and food. In the afternoon, Trevor the Juggler will perform.
11 a.m.-noon: Go Shuck Yourself
Wellfleet Preservation Hall, 335 Main St.
Tickets $45, include admission to OysterFest; register online at wellfleetspat.org
Learn how to shuck oysters with the pros — champions of the Shuck-off. Each participant will get 12 oysters to shuck and eat, plus their own oyster knife and glove to keep.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Schuyler Grant Band
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
Lean into lyrical ballads and blues-driven rock with singer-songwriter Schuyler Grant.
11:30 a.m.-noon: “First Light: Cape Cod Oystermen”
Wellfleet Public Library, 55 W. Main St.
Free
View and discuss a photographic essay by Ryan Casson on oystering in Wellfleet Bay with Casson, SPAT board member Jake Puffer, and Wellfleet shellfishermen.
12:30-1 p.m. “Great White Sharks off the Coast of Cape Cod Bay”
Wellfleet Public Library, 55 W. Main Str.
Free
Atlantic White Shark Conservancy founder Cynthia Wigren will discuss the great white’s ecological role and challenges related to public safety.
1-3 p.m.: Shuck-off Finals
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
Cheer on contestants in the final round of the oyster-shucking competition. Prizes will be awarded.
1:30-2 p.m.: “Sharing Our Shores with Gray and Harbor Seals”
Wellfleet Public Library, 55 Main Street
Free
Join scientists Lisa Sette and Andrea Bogomolni to learn about seals in New England’s waters.
1:30-3 p.m.: “Diversifying Our Seafood Diets”
Wellfleet Preservation Hall lower level, 335 Main St.
Tickets $25-45, wellfleetspat.org
Author Kate Masury and Chef Rizwan Ahmed give a presentation about diverse seafood diets and how to prepare underappreciated seafood species at home.
3:30-5 p.m.: The Rip It Ups
Main Stage, Town Hall parking lot, 286 Main St.
Jam out with rockers from the Cape. Wellfleet high school senior Ella Mae Dixon will join in.
7:30 p.m.: “Wrinkles, the Musical”
Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, 2357 Route 6
Tickets $12-$40 at what.org
A diverse group of older women join together to share their triumphs and struggles in a musical revue.
