Urbanna is also known for being home to the Urbanna Oyster Festival which takes place 1-2 November 2013. Urbanna Oyster Festival is Virginia's official oyster festival and one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in the USA. 

Virginia is known as the Oyster Capital of the East Coast and the state is now the largest producer of fresh, farm-raised oysters in America.  This November approximately 75,000 visitors are expected to descend off the beaten track to the quiet tidewater town of Urbanna in Virginia, one of the oldest and smallest towns in America. Urbanna is also known for being home to the Urbanna Oyster Festival which takes place 1-2 November 2013. Urbanna Oyster Festival is Virginia’s official oyster festival and one of the largest and oldest festivals of its kind in the USA.

Awash with activity, Virginia’s traditional annual seafood festival will see quaint, historic streets turn into a bustling market of oyster and seafood booths, with over 50 vendors offering an ample supply of the delicacy.  Move on to the main events of the festival, and discover the renowned Virginia State Oyster Shucking Competition (which attracts some of the world’s best oyster shuckers each year), a popular parade of modern and vintage fire-engines hosted by the local fire brigade, and the main parade of the festival which showcases a vibrant and colourful mix of floats, marching bands and even beauty queens.

Having shucked oysters and savoured soft-shell crab at one of the town’s charming restaurants, sample more sumptuous seafood with a stroll along the historic seaport, and discover a wealth of activities, including wine tastings, musical performances, one-of-a-kind arts and crafts, an impressive antique car show, and the Oyster Festival Queen and Little Miss Spat (a spat is a baby oyster) competitions, where high school seniors and first grade students are judged on various elements including their individual community project. 

Located along the Rappahannock River, Urabanna is a rural gem boasting more boats than people, a land mass of less than half a square mile and a sleepy way of life – all nestled in a sheltered deep-water creek on a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay.

With seven different top oyster regions the state serves up an array of deliciously diverse flavours of Virginia oysters – from the saltiest in the waters of Chincoteague on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and the sweet taste of Rappahannock River oysters, to the rebirth of Lynnhaven oysters in Virginia Beach. Oyster lovers visiting Virginia this fall can also visit the Chincoteague Island Oyster Festival (12 October), which celebrates the state’s saltier oyster and the start of the oyster season with all-you-can-eat oysters and seafood, contests and live entertainment. New this year is the  Virginia Wine and Oyster Classic Festival, which is held on the same day as the Urbanna Oyster Festival (2 November 2013), and which brings together top Virginia chefs and winemakers to present oyster and wine pairings. The event is held at the Dog and Oyster Vineyard under a large tent and tickets start at $20 per person.

To find out more about the Virginia Oyster Festival, visit www.urbannaoysterfestival.com

To find out more about Oysters in Virginia, visit www.virginia.org/oysters

To find out more about Virginia and the Capital Region USA, visit www.CapitalRegionUSA.co.uk

- ends -

Press enquiries to Jo Thomas / Lisa Cooper at KBC PR & Marketing

jo.thomas@kbc-pr.com / lisa.cooper@kbc-pr.com
Tel: 01825 763636