It was another jam-packed Arcata Bay Oyster Festival in Arcata on Saturday with attendees soaking in the sunshine and seafood at the Arcata Plaza 35 years after the first Arcata Bay Oyster Festival took place back in 1990.

There were all the sights and activities locals have come to expect, and love, from Oyster Fest, with live music, friendly chatter and all the oysters one could dream about. After hearing complaints about long lines in previous years, the festival doubled their oyster vendors this year, aiming to provide a better experience for all involved.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the seafood euphoria while at Oyster Fest, the festival also serves as a reminder of just how impactful Humboldt Bay is for California’s oyster harvesting, as it’s the largest site of oyster production on the West Coast.

There’s no doubt that festival attendees love the oysters; they also love the atmosphere as Oyster Fest is another example of what makes Arcata the unique and charming town that it is. The free-to-attend Oyster Festival is consistently the most-attended activity in Arcata year in year out, and after seeing the shuck-and-swallow competition and the oyster calling contest, it’s easy to understand why.

The attendees of the 2025 Arcata Bay Oyster Festival gather around the Main Stage on Saturday, June 14. The festival had live music from 10:00a.m.-5:00p.m. (Dylan McNeill/Times-Standard)

“It’s a taste of what Arcata is,” Oyster Fest attendee Steven Ponce said. “Even when the lines are long, which it hasn’t been too bad today, the energy is just chipper and everyone is out here just having a good time.”

Even though Ponce isn’t an Arcata resident, he tries to make it to Oyster Festival to join in on the community while also indulging on some oysters.

A griller for the Locavore Pop Up prepares oysters at the 2025 Arcata Bay Oyster Festival at the Arcata Plaza. (Dylan McNeill/Times-Standard)

“Man, they just taste even better during Oyster Fest,” Ponce said of the oysters. “I used to be scared of them and then I just tried it and realized how totally wrong I was.”

Even though oysters are in the festival’s title, there’s plenty of activities for those who are less interested in the seafood, with food trucks, vendors, a farmer’s market and more than 10 bands performing live between the festival’s two stages.

A band gets ready for a performance at the Second Stage at the 2025 Arcata Bay Oyster Festival. The festival had bands throughout the day on Saturday on two different stages. (Dylan McNeill/Times-Standard)

Dylan McNeill can be reached at 707-441-0526.