Stranraer Oyster Festival

A three-day waterfront festival in Stranraer celebrating the native oysters of Loch Ryan, Scotland's last wild native oyster fishery.

Stranraer Oyster Festival is a community-run weekend on the Stranraer waterfront built around the native oysters fished from Loch Ryan. The programme mixes celebrity and local chef demonstrations, a large oyster bar, an artisan market marquee, live music, marine science sessions, children's activities and a firework display over the loch. It also hosts the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championship, whose winner goes on to the World Championships in Galway.

The festival was founded in 2017 by Stranraer Development Trust, a local charity, as a response to the loss of the town's ferry port. The organisers say the 2026 edition was the busiest yet: the oyster bar served more than one and a half tonnes of oysters, and around 150 volunteers helped run it.

A general admission ticket covers most of the site, while talks and cookery demonstrations in the kitchen marquee need their own tickets. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome, ramps are provided to the marquees, there is Blue Badge parking close to the site, and a free festival shuttle bus runs over the weekend.