Your guide to the Oyster Festival

BY TRAIN The Long Island Rail Road’s Oyster Bay line is the best way to get to the festival. The train literally lets passengers out at the park's entrance, and service is expanded for the weekend. Or take the LIRR to Syosset and hop on a free shuttle bus to the festival.  

BY CAR There's free designated parking at the James H. Vernon Middle School on Route 106 in East Norwich, Mill-Max Manufacturing Corp. on Route 106 in Oyster Bay, and the Oyster Bay Jewish Center on Berry Hill Road, The Equestrian Center on Route 106 in Muttontown or Centre Island Beach in Bayville. From there, take the free Oyster Festival shuttle that makes pit stops at the Boys & Girls Club of Oyster Bay-East Norwich, St. Dominic Catholic Church and Oyster Bay High School. Handicapped parking and individual handicapped shuttle service is offered at Spring and West Main streets in Oyster Bay.

BY BOAT Those coming into Oyster Bay Harbor must call ahead to the Oyster Bay Marine Center (516-624-2400 = VHF 71) or Sagamore Yacht Club (516-922-0555 = VHF 78A).

VIP LOUNGE Just outside the food court and near the main stage, the new VIP Lounge designed by concert promoter Live Nation will serve as an oasis for ticketed guests. The 2,500-square-foot area will provide complimentary soft drinks, freshly shucked oysters, games of cornhole and life-size Jenga, plus private bathrooms, Oyster Fest swag, concierge services and preferred parking. Tickets start at $99 and are limited to 200 people per day.

BEER AND WINE TENT The new beer- and wine-tasting tent hosts five breweries and three wineries serving 2-ounce pours to ticketed attendees 21 or older. For $45, guests receive six tickets for six tastes or 12 tastes for $75 in a gated, security-guarded areas. Tickets are limited to 800 a day.

THE BUTTERFLY EXPERIENCE Go inside a giant tent to see hundreds of butterflies fluttering about. Guests can even feed them using a feeding stick as they learn fun facts about the delicate winged insects.  

FIREWORKS SHOW To celebrate the 35th anniversary, the festival will stay open an hour later — until 7 p.m.—on Saturday, Oct. 13. The day concludes with a fireworks display over Oyster Bay Harbor.

People come to the Oyster Festival hungry and ready to feast. While the event celebrates the mollusk harvested in the harbor, the food court menu features more than 130 items. Here’s how it breaks down:

SEAFOOD FANS Shellfish lovers should taste the fried oysters, oyster stew, oyster po’boy sandwiches and the classic — oysters on the half shell. Like lobster? Go for the lobster bisque, lobster mac-and-cheese, lobster Banh Mi sandwich or a full lobster dinner. Don’t forget: fried clams, New England and Manhattan clam chowders, clams on the half shell, steamed clams, fish tacos, crabcakes, soft-shell crabs, fried calamari.  

MEAT LOVERS If you’re not a fish fan, there’s everything from cheesesteaks to barbecued ribs to Southern fried chicken to roasted turkey legs. The adventurous can check out blackened gator on a stick.  

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS For those who don’t eat meat or fish, vegetarian items include pumpkin ravioli, acai bowls, fried pickles, pizza, fried green tomatoes, calzones, pierogies, potato pancakes, mozzarepas, tater tots and sweet potato fries.

GLOBAL EATS Traditional Latin American dishes, such as homemade empanadas, pupusas, tostadas and tacos, are festival favorites. Go Greek with Yucca fries, souvlaki, gyros, spinach pies and falafel. Even Chinese dumplings and eggrolls are available.

CARNIVAL RIDES & GAMES A 100,000-square-foot midway features nine adult family rides (including Alien Abduction, Super Shot), nine kiddie rides (such as Puppy Roll, Traffic Jam), and 14 carnival games (Whac-a-Mole, bottle mash, water races) in between.

PIRATE ENCAMPMENT The Kings of the Coast pirate troupe hosts an interactive show twice a day, at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m., concluding with a treasure hunt on the beach.

PETTING ZOO R.W. Commerford & Sons Zoo provides camel and pony rides in addition to such exotic animals as a lemur and a kangaroo.

MUSIC Saturday, Oct. 13, on the West End Avenue Stage KIDZHITZ offers live student performances and uses their mobile music studio with the audience at 11:30 a.m.; Darlene Graham plays educational family music at 3:30 p.m.; and the MickMags perform children’s comedy rock at 4:30 p.m.

OYSTER EATING & SHUCKING CONTESTS These back-to-back activities begin Saturday at 2 p.m. on the West End Avenue stage and are worth watching as competitors put on a show for the crowd. Hint: Stay out of the front row or risk getting hit with some seafood shrapnel.

SHOPPING For a break from the crowds and outdoor weather, duck into the arts and crafts tents featuring more than 130 vendors. Everything from jewelry and gourmet foods to candles, soaps, lotions, clothing, woodwork, glassware and potpourri will be for sale.

SPORTS STUFF The New York City Football Club and the Long Island Rough Riders offer free soccer clinics for kids ages 5-14 all day. The Long Island Nets basketball team will be on hand with an inflatable “Pop-A-Shot” hoops booth. Try out NYCB Live’s inflatable tennis court or test your golf skills at Golf Pro Delivered’s virtual driving range.  

JOHN J. HARVEY FIREBOAT Tour this historic vessel, launched in 1931, which was the first fireboat powered by an internal combustion engine and can pump 18,000 gallons a minute. It was even used on Sept. 11, 2001, pumping water for 80 hours.

Don’t leave without catching at least one set of live music, which is part of the fabric of the festival. There’s a style to suit every taste.

MAIN STAGE — Saturday, Oct. 13, The Joe Magurne Band opens the festival, playing a mix of acoustic rock originals and covers at 11:15 a.m., while Four Way Street performs the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at 12:30 p.m.  Pump pays tribute to Aerosmith at 1:45 p.m., and Penny Lane plays Beatles songs at 3 p.m. Meanwhile, The Electrix blends Grateful Dead tunes with Allman Brothers classics for a double set from 4:15 till the fireworks start at 7 p.m.

MAIN STAGE — Sunday, Oct. 14, Day two begins with a tribute to a decade with The 90's Band at 11 a.m. Turn back the clock with Beach Boys tribute Endless Summer at noon, then catch local artists Matthew Taft at 1 p.m., Mike Dorio at 2 p.m. and Katie Pearlman at 3 p.m. The festival closes out with Turnpike Joe and the Traffic Jam at 4:15 p.m.

WEST END AVENUE STAGE — Sunday, Oct. 14, DJ Theo holds a New Wave Dance Party complete with dance troupes and live art installations from noon to 5 p.m.

DRESS Choose clothes that are warmer than you think you'll need because the festival is along the shore of Oyster Bay Harbor, where temperatures might be 10 degrees cooler than inland. Hoodies and turtlenecks are key layers.

TAKE THE TRAIN It may sound like a hassle, but it’s easy. Park and ride the Long Island Rail Road, which offers expanded service, from East Williston, Albertson, Roslyn, Greenvale, Glen Head, Sea Cliff, Glen Street, Glen Cove or Locust Valley, and head to the last stop: Oyster Bay. The train will drop passengers off right in the middle of the festival, and every activity is walkable from there.

EAT FIRST Get to the booths before the lines get long. The food is hearty, so skip breakfast. The menu features more than 130 items.

BRING CASH Everything is cash, though some of the arts and crafts vendors accept credit cards. ATMs are available on-site in the food court and in the carnival area at Fireman’s Field.

LOCATE BATHROOMS & REST STOPS Despite all the walking and bustling through crowds, there are areas to rest and use the facilities. Two fields of portable restrooms are situated on West End Avenue and north of the arts and crafts tents. Seating is available throughout both parts of the food court and near the Main Stage. There’s even a baby-changing station on West End Avenue, across from the West End Avenue Stage, stocked with Babyganics products.