Bucerias Oyster Festival in Vallarta-Nayarit is a Free Feast for All Cesar Lerma - Vallarta-Nayarit Blog
go to original April 18, 2017

Party on the beach like a Banderas Bay local at the 17th Annual Bucerías Oyster Festival on Sunday, April 23rd, beginning at 5:00 pm and serving up 5,000 fresh-shucked oysters on the half-shell, ceviche, live mariachi music, a beauty pageant, and starlit boat parade, all totally free.

Considered a delicacy by foodies around the world, oysters are the last seafood treat you might expect to be free. Only when you visit our neighbor village known as the “Place of Divers” during the 17th Annual Bucerías Oyster Festival, they are just that. Honoring the end of oyster season in El Punto Beach, it’s quickly become one of the most treasured food festivals in Vallarta-Nayarit all year, equally beloved by locals and visitors alike.

A Lip-Smacking Celebration of Life By the Sea

If you’re looking for authentic ways to immerse yourself in the culture of Banderas Bay, Bucerías Oyster Fest is the event for you.

Every year, it features live mariachi and regional Mexican music, a beauty pageant to crown the festival’s queen, the “Largest Oyster Catch” contest, and a lively small boat parade by starlight. That’s just the entertainment.

The fresh-shucked centerpiece of it all is a mountain of roughly 5,000 oysters on the half-shell, all given away for free, right on the beach. Other culinary delights include nearly 1,000 lbs of ceviche, fried oyster tacos, oyster salad, and over 300 lbs of fried fish.

How Can It All Be Free?

The answer is community. Arranged by the divers themselves, this is a local event meant to both honor fallen divers and celebrate the integral role oyster harvesting plays in the history and economy of Bucerías. That said, please feel free to tip the chefs and oyster shuckers with whatever you might feel appropriate.