The 11th anniversary of the BC Shellfish and Seafood Festival will be held June 9 ‐ 18, 2017 in the Comox Valley during BC Seafood Month; the largest shellfish growing region in the province, producing the most oysters in Canada. Visitors of the festival will enjoy 10 days of seafood tastings, informative aquaculture producer tours, signature dinner events and competitions, workshops from aquaculture industry leaders and more.
What initially began as a one‐day event years ago has expanded to be the largest seafood festival in Western Canada featuring key local and international culinary celebrities and outstanding signature and seafood sector development events for visiting guests and industry, as well as an International Buyers Program in conjunction with the Ministry of International Trade.
Highlights for 2017 include: BC Seafood on Your Plate Restaurant Campaign; the BC Seafood Expo, June 12 and 13th which has doubled its Trade Show floor capacity this year, features pre and post producer tours, and keynote speaker Terry O’Reilly from the CBC; a completely new Fresh Fest, June 10th; and the Fanny Bay Oyster Shucking Competition and OceanWiseTM Chowder Challenge at the signature festival event, the Comox by the Sea Celebration, June 18th.
The BC Shellfish Growers Association (BCSGA) originally established the Festival to bring awareness to the shellfish industry, and it has since grown significantly with the support of Comox Valley Economic Development and Tourism (CVEDS) and a wide array of tourism and industry partners. For more information and tickets, see bcshellfishfestival.com and bcseafoodexpo.com
