New York Oyster Week, this year on September 10-27, is the global headquarters for oyster appreciation, and highlights New York’s ingenuity through events and dining.
Oysters share a particularly rich place in the history, culture, cuisine, economy and ecology of New York. This considerable contribution to the physical and economic construction of New York City is shared by adventurous and curious foodies, restaurants, oystermen, seafood companies, conservation organizations, and the aligned sponsors that make up the Oyster sense of adventure and in the OysterHood community.
New York Oyster Week can be enjoyed at a curated collection of oyster centric events or at the many distinguished participating restaurants. Join the fun as festival-goers shuck, slurp, feast and toast to the oyster’s versatility and importance in our culture. Connect with oyster farmers at events and explore creative oyster dishes at Leading Oyster Destinations in support of sustainable aquaculture and the restoration of protective and productive oyster reeds in and around New York City.
Each September, New York Oyster Week presents opportunities to gather and enjoy oysters in exciting and engaging events of all sizes and shapes. This event was created to cater to the tastes and geographies of enthusiasts and the curious alike. The other half of the Oyster week experience takes place in an impressive collection of distinguished New York City restaurants. The chefs and proprietors of marquee fish houses, raw bars and oyster friendly venues will serve up their take on the oyster with a featured Oyster Week oyster themed menu item or pairing.
Oyster Week exists to provide a fun an engaging platform through which all can experience and celebrate oyster culture and community in ways that fit various personal styles and schedules. Its aim is to facilitate an experience that satisfies oyster lovers and engage the bivalve curious. It is their sincere hope to promote awareness and appreciation for the Oystermen, aquaculture and care required to bring these products from dock to dish. They strive to create significant attention, action adoption and advocacy for the participating chefs, restaurants, sponsors and beneFISHiaries.
In addition to a dizzying array of food, drink and fun, New York Oyster Week will host the single largest oyster shell recovery effort New York has ever seen, in partnership with the Billion Oyster Project (BOP), they expect to collect more than 100,000 oyster shells throughout the week! Shells will be shuttled to the NRG, Arthur Kill Power Plant where they will cure for a year before being reintroduced to the Harbor as cultch and reef substrate.
BOP aims to restore one billion live oysters into New York Harbor and to do all that work with public school students by engaging students in hands-on restoration based education. Through a partnership with The New York Harbor School and 35 other schools throughout the city, thousands of students each year contribute to the restoration of New York Harbor. New York Harbor School is New York City’s only public high school dedicated to maritime and environmental education. Learn more at nyharborschool.org or contact the Billion Oyster Project at restore@nyharbor.org.