48,000 pounds of oysters eaten at Lowcountry Oyster Festival

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) - Fans of oysters and tradition celebrated nearly four decades of the Lowcountry Oyster Festival Sunday in Mount Pleasant.

Being the largest oyster festival in the world, almost 8,000 people gathered at Boone Hall Plantation for the 39th annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival.

The Charleston Oyster Foundation President Jonathan Kish says every dollar earned from the event goes to charity.

“I’ve been a part of the oyster festival since I was 6 years old,” Kish says. “So I mean, for me, it’s just part of my life, and I just love doing it. You know, we raise a lot of money for charities; if it’s culinary education or its coastal conservation, we give back a lot.”

Attendees of the festival ate a total of 48,000 pounds of oysters from the Edisto area and James River.

“I’m glad they got some local clusters here, and I know we have some Chesapeake Bay options as well, but I am definitely going to stick to the local ones,” Katie Jo, from West Ashley, says. “I think we finished about two buckets in five minutes.”

People came from all over the country for oyster shucking, oyster eating contests, live music and food trucks. Mandy Baker and her friends traveled from Charlotte to participate in the fun.

“The best part is all the people, different people,” Baker says. “One person was from the east coast that we met, they drove down here just to be here. It’s just about bringing the community together.”

It takes 1,000 people to run the event, with 800 of those individuals being volunteers. Both the event organizers and festival attendees say they hope the festival continues for many years to come.

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