Merroir, exceptional oysters, culinary excellence and good times are on the menu this May 1 – 3, when the Narooma Oyster Festival returns for its 19th celebration of the Rock Oyster.
Tickets go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, February 4, with General Admission, premium experiences and coach details out now.
The iconic festival brings together farmers from the heart of NSW’s estuaries, showcasing their growing and shucking skills and adding a culinary, entertainment and live music program that’s as transformative as it is exciting. Arrive a little earlier for Rock Oyster Week, a week-long program of food, farm gate and on-water experiences across the South Coast, from the Shoalhaven River to Pambula Lake.
All weekend, children under 17 enter free with an adult and there’s a free shuttle bus around Narooma and Dalmeny on Friday and Saturday. Ticketed coaches travel from Batemans Bay, Bermagui and Merimbula on Saturday, May 2.
All roads lead to Narooma and the foreshore of Wagonga Inlet on May 1-3. The 2026 festival is also set to welcome world-class chefs including Courtney Roulston (Farm to Fork), Adi De Jesus-Davo (@theflipchef), Brendan Boothroyd (Duxton Pubs SA), Jeff Razon (The Oyster Cove, Batemans Bay) and more to come. Plus there’s celebrated distillers, brewers and vintners and a line-up of musicians and performers headlined by Superjesus frontwoman Sarah McLeod.
There’s new experiences on offer in 2026, adding to the favourites of Oyster Farmers Alley, the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships and Australia’s Biggest Oyster.
Oysters feature in every aspect, from Oyster Farmers Alley to the world-class cooking demonstrations and the Sparkling Oyster Cruises.
It’s all backed by Oyster Bars, Liquor Bars, artisan producers, seafood catchers food stalls and live entertainment.
Festival goers can indulge in their love of oysters through masterclasses, including the Festival’s signature Ultimate Oyster Experiences and new Master the Shuck classes.
Each day brings curated, elevated culinary experiences and cruises on Wagonga Inlet, which is one of NSW’s most productive Rock Oyster growing estuaries. This year also brings new opportunities to reserve your spot for prime viewing of all the fun too, so check out Friday’s Sipper Club supported by Sohi Spirits and Saturday’s Cook’s Corner.
FRIDAY NIGHT WARM-UP WITH SARAH MCLEOD
Friday night’s warm up kicks off from 4pm, inviting you to roll out a picnic blanket on the foreshore, grab some oysters and a drink and soak up live music around the MG Live Music Stage from local and regional performers as the sun sets. Sarah McLeod will have everyone dancing with her bold, powerful music before fireworks close out the night.
Oyster-lovers looking to indulge can choose between several premium experiences. The waterfront fire-cooked dinner, Seared & Salty supported by Olsson’s Salt, returns after a hugely popular debut in 2025. An intimate cruise for 70 will catch the sunset and fireworks from the water in the Whale Coast Realty Fireworks Cruise and the new Sipper Club will offer music-lovers access to premium viewing, a bar stocked with SoHi cocktails, Breakwall Brewing Co craft beers and Cupitts Estate wines.
Superjesus founder (and oyster lover Sarah McLeod) is set to headline a brilliant regional line-up on the MG Live Music Stage.
SATURDAY, THE BIG DAY
Saturday is where the program goes BIG with a full day of flavour and fun. On a General Admission ticket, you’ll have time after gates open at 10am to visit Oyster Farmers Alley to meet the growers and taste their oysters before sharing in the Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony with Yuin man Brock Tutt. After more tastings, cheer on the hunt for Australia’s Biggest Oyster where a world record was set with a 3.1kg oyster in 2024. Grab lunch, catch a Betta Cooking Demonstration with Courtney Roulston and our visiting and local chefs, explore the markets, then settle in to cheer on the farmers in the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships, where a spot in the World Oyster Opening Championship is up for shucks.
There’s more too, you can take a deep dive into merroir and oyster culture in Saturday morning’s Ultimate Oyster Experiences with Australia’s eminent seafood authority John Susman AM. Taste Rock Oysters from multiple estuaries, an Angasi (Australia’s native flat oyster) and a Pacific. Organisers recommend following with a Master the Shuck class to learn how to open oysters like a professional.
Saturday’s exclusive waterfront retreat, the Rock Oyster Lounge (catered by the fire pit masters Terra Firma Dining) is back and the Sparkling Oyster Cruises have been reimagined and expanded. This unforgettable on-water experience is now aboard a bigger boat, with sparkling cuvee, craft beer, Narooma’s own Rock Oysters and Tilba Dairy cheese on offer while you glide past the oyster leases on Wagonga Inlet.
Saturday’s music program has been extended to 6pm with a special closing set by Sarah McLeod following a full day of music with Jack Biilmann, Val Moogz, Howling Mitch Trio, Chelsey Atkins, Jakob Poyner & Piper Allan.
SUNDAY, RELAX ON THE FORESHORE
Sunday morning brings everyone back together for Narooma’s Biggest Breakfast, hosted by the community groups that make Narooma such a great place all year round. Think more oysters, healthy and hearty food and drinks, entertainment and the raffle draw for a new car – an MGZS Vibe (tickets are available online and at the festival). The oysters will be flowing too – whole to take home and opened to enjoy on the spot. Early birds can add on a yoga session with Tilba’s celebrated Georgina Eve or a new Sunrise Breakfast Cruise on the inlet.
