The Galway International Oyster Festival returns for its 72nd year from 25th to 27th September 2026!

This citywide festival showcases the best of Galway’s famous hospitality scene – with the main events free for locals and visitors to the city to enjoy.

The festival begins on Friday 25th September, with Oyster Farm Tours, bookable through the official website and involving 4 independent oyster farms in different locations across Galway County. Why not try something new and see how oyster farms produce delicious oysters while carefully maintaining and restoring their natural habitats. You might even try your hand at shucking an oyster yourself!

For those who prefer to stay in the city, the Oyster Trail will begin on Friday afternoon, with Galway’s best restuarants putting on a feast of seafood, live music, drinks pairings, pop-up oyster bars and live oyster opening demonstrations from some of our international competitors. Don’t miss it!

On Friday night, the Irish Oyster Opening Championship will be held in in the garden of An Púcán, just off Eyre Square, with street seafood specials, oyster shucking demos and live music.

On Saturday, competitors from 16 countries will join the newly-crowned Irish champion as they parade their national colours from Eyre Square to a specially-erected stage on Cross Street for the main event – the World Oyster Opening Championship!

Large screens will allow the crowd to enjoy the action from a variety of vantage points.
Live entertainment on stage, special guest MCs and a pop-up street food market featuring a variety of local venues will ensure a true festival atmosphere.

Sunday sees a change of pace, with a maritime-themed programme of events including talks, food demos, shore walks and live entertainment. This will be a free, public, city-wide day of science, culture, heritage and community activity exploring the journey of water from catchment to coast.
Centred on the Spanish Arch and extending from Salthill to the Docklands, the event will combine public science, outdoor participation, maritime heritage, food culture and marine education to create a highly visible civic celebration of Galway’s relationship with water in an accessible and engaging public programme designed for all ages.

Stay tuned to our social media channels for updates as the full programme is revealed!