On September 20th, hundreds of hungry folks will make their way to Old Alabama Town historic district in downtown Montgomery, where they’ll chat, sip cool beverages, and slurp oysters under the shade of the area’s abundant trees during the third annual Montgomery Oyster Festival.

They come to eat fresh, farm-raised oysters shucked on site, as well as roasted and topped oysters and other oyster-centric dishes prepared by some of Alabama’s hottest chefs. They wash the seafood feast down with cold beer and creative cocktails while tapping their toes to live tunes floating down from the historic home porch where bands play. But attendees also discover an opportunity to plug into a close-knit but growing Alabama oyster-farming community.

The event draws approximately 500 people, but according to Adam Warnke, one of the event organizers, it began with a simple conversation. “After we did a few years of Taco Libre and the Burger Bash [highly successful Montgomery food events], we were sitting around, talking about another event to put on, and we discussed the lack of oysters in Montgomery,” says Warnke, who is part of the Lighting Line team, the group that produces the festival.

He and Lighting Line co-founder Steven Lambert felt oysters were the perfect bite to add to their event mix, but also recognized an oyster-focused event’s ability to highlight what they see as a point of pride for the state. “The event allows us to educate the region on the uniqueness of oyster farming and how each oyster farm’s oyster is different than the next,” Warnke says. “I love that the community gets to enjoy world-class Southern oysters prepared in a world-class way without having to leave Montgomery to do it.”

But the Oyster Fest team does leave the city, putting in some serious legwork to create an atmosphere that encourages engagement by organizing chef-to-farm field trips to Alabama oyster farms. Executive chef of Montgomery’s Central restaurant Jason McGarry took one of the trips and notes the benefits he and other Alabama chefs and restaurateurs reap from interacting with farmers at their farms, experiencing how, where, and why they raise their briny bivalves.  “I didn’t know that much about oysters before my first farm visit,” McGarry says, “but then we got down there and got out in the water to harvest some oysters ourselves. That was great, but the best part is meeting the farmers.”

He spent time at Isle Dauphine Oyster Co. and Point aux Pins, where he learned farmers don’t just grow oysters, they raise them. “It’s truly unique,” McGarry says. “There is real science behind it, but it’s an art too.” He forged a friendship with Point aux Pins owner Hugo McClure, calling him “one of his favorite people in the world.” McClure shares the sentiment. “I’ve gotten close to Jason at Central,” he says. “We had a great time with a big dinner party and several other chefs the last time they were down.”

These visits build bridges that uplift the entire industry. “I have seen Point aux Pins oysters at Central multiple times over the last year, and that is a direct result of this event,” Warnke says. McGarry echoes Warnke. “Once I tasted Point aux Pins, and then got to know Hugo, I told him you could charge more for these,” he says.

And the camaraderie spills over into the festival. In between shucking and slurping, farmers, chefs and attendees share meaningful conversations and stories. “Everyone at this event really gets to connect,” says McGarry, “and that’s partly due to its smaller size. You can easily talk to the farmers and talk to the chefs.” Chatting up those enjoying his oysters puts the Montgomery event on a pedestal for McClure. “It’s my favorite event we do,” he says. “I love the entire experience. There’s just a good feeling from all the relationships it has helped form.”

These bonds elevate the event above your average food fest, and their importance extends beyond a single day. By creating new oyster lovers and arming them with the bivalves’ backstories, the festival generates hundreds of oyster ambassadors who leave the event yet continue to support and promote the state’s Gulf bounty. “Educating the consumer about where these oysters come from, how they’re good for the environment, the work it takes, and introducing them to the people doing the work is a key aspect of the event,” McGarry says. “These oysters are one of Alabama’s great resources.”

McClure agrees. “The great thing about the Montgomery event, compared to bigger events, is we have more time to talk to attendees,” he says. And they want to hear what McClure and his fellow farmers have to say. “They’re always interested in our different stories and our approaches.”

The Oyster Festival brings its hometown a win too, showcasing the talents of local chefs and, with its ticket proceeds, raising funds for the Landmarks Foundation, Montgomery’s primary historical preservation organization, which manages the event’s site, Old Alabama Town.

The 2025 event promises the same combo of good food and good times that the last two years delivered, with six oyster farms (including one from neighboring Mississippi) serving their super-fresh oysters, 12 chefs providing cooked oyster preparations, and cocktail pros from Montgomery bars slinging drinks, plus some non-oyster bites for landlubbers, too. McGarry plans to serve some Point aux Pins oysters dressed simply. “I’ll probably do a mignonette with heirloom tomatoes to take advantage of the last of late summer’s great produce,” he says. Some kind of oyster slider might also appear in his offerings.

Bands including BB Palmer and Montgomery’s own Electric Blue Yonder are bringing the music. VIP tickets open access to an exclusive lounge area where unlimited oyster-tasting and drink tickets flow, and chef Ban Stewart tends the flame for a VIP-only oyster roast.

There’s a lot to love, but for Warnke, it all comes back to connections. “I like a lot of things about this event,” he says, “but I love the setting of Old Alabama Town in the heart of Montgomery. I love that this event fosters connections between the chefs and the farms that help both, and I love that festivalgoers get to be a part of that.”

 

Find more information about this year’s festival here.