What a joke... I was enticed to come when I heard that with last year's entrance fee you get free oysters. Ok, I'm in. I was sent a deal $12.50 + $4.50 [service fee] = $17. First of all $4.50 surcharge? Then we were directed to park in lots around the area. So I spent another $10 in parking, which was a couple blocks away. Entered and no freebies. Sure there are booths - spin to win prizes. So, basically I bought my Safari Park tickets that I won. Since I was at an Oysterfest, I may as well buy some expensive oysters. I opted for the 3 for $5 Carlsbad oysters. I admit, although they were small, they were yummy. I was craving more. I spent another $5 in tater tots since I was still starved. You see massive amounts of people eating, drinking and just mostly sitting around. This is something I can just do in someone's backyard for FREE. I was really disappointed... We didn't even spend a couple hours in here and left to find real food. $17 + $10 + $5 + $5 + gas [R/T from North County] = $37+ I felt duped... ======================= Negative NOMS, Brad!!! read more

SD Oysterfest - Festivals Near Me - San Diego, California

I may be the only 5 star rating But I didn't pay the high prices. I didn't have long bathroom line. And I certainly didn't have any a-holes in my vicinity. Just good music read more

SD Oysterfest - Thievery corporation from my boat. - Festivals Near Me - San Diego, California

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Lots of bad reviews on here but we had a great time. We went for the reggae music (Hirie/Through the Roots/Expanders/Rebelution) for our anniversary celebration and we loved it. The food was good and they had a full bar and accepted credit cards. Compared to other reggae concerts (such as California Roots in Monterey) we didn't think it was too crowded, there weren't long waits between performances, and the lines weren't too long for the food. The $45 admission was worth the experience. Seems like many people went for the food and were let down. Hope to attend again next year! read more

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Like a 3.5.. Seriously, the only thng that sucked was parking and looking for it. But if you figure this all out before hand by reading the YELP reviews or just calling, it really isn't all that bad. I probably almost would have rated it a 2 if I didnt have a great time at the Oysterfest. Which I DID!! So take these tips with you: - Park at the Marriot for 10$ the whole day.. walk through the hotel and make your way past the pool and around the bay. - Out of all the tents, just hit up Drakes. None of the other tents are worth it. Unless your that much of an Oyster snob that you've gotta get the fancy shmancy ones, just stick to Drakes tent. The raw oysters were awesome, BUT YOU HAVE TO TRY THE BBQ ones! - Cash only. - Get a cocktail. or two or three. - Seating is a little hard but theres plenty of grass space (bring a blanky or not) or you can get romantic with it and sit on the rocks by the bay. I sure did with my girlfriend. ;) Serious fun times on Saturday. I went with one other friend and we had a blast. Bring more people and I think it'll be good times for everyone! P.S. Personally don't think the VIP would be worth it. I had more than enough oysters and cocktails and even with admission I spent less than the $100 VIP. read more

SD Oysterfest - Drakes BBQ oysters.. Mmmmm - Festivals Near Me - San Diego, California

We started out the day with a carefully planned Bloody Mary meet up, followed by a stroll towards the waterfront, we wore hats, we held hands and skipped, we anticipated a sexy oyster saturday...we gave Oysterfest every chance in the world to impresses us. Le sigh, It was like when you get your hair did and get all fancy for a date, only to be disappointed in what the dude is wearing when you meet him. High hopes.... 25$ a ticket, PLUS a hefty 5$ service charge...basically I could have gotten my tickets at the door cause it ends up being the SAME?? I felt like that was a little shiesty. This price tag gets you into the event, you get to hear some cool bands, there was port-o-pottys (even a giant urinal where the guys had to stand there in groups, feet and upper body exposed to the breeze! It gave the impression of a man in a barrel http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-1916537/stock-photo-naked-man-wearing-a-wooden-barrel.html ) but what it doesn't get you is ONE SINGLE OYSTER...or beer. Did you bring cash? I hope so! We're the kinda kids that love life and sunshine and music so we made the best of it. It was a great day, we didn't start it off right for nothin! We got there early and snagged a table and drank and eventually purchased some grilled and raw delights (about 20 dollars for a dozen and drinks were pricey too) What we did consume was quality and tasted like a slap in the face from the sea-the combo of the atmosphere and tastes and smells and music really lended to an enjoyable day. So sad you can't drink at this park generally anymore! With so many other amazing restaurants in town, combining the 30$ entrance and what was spent on food and drink, I'd rather spend it differently and go and have a 60$ Oyster fest meal of my own somewhere! I hope next year the price of admission comes with maybe two oyster samples of your choice or something? We're not asking for much, just the feeling of value! Lovely atmosphere, and with a little more bang for your buck I'll get sexy by the sea again next year...if not, I'll get my aphrodisiac elsewhere! read more

I've been to SD Oysterfest twice now (2012 and 2015) and for the $35 or so it costs just to get in there's really no way to justify going back to this event. Pros: - Fantastic people watching - Good bands (Little Hurricane, Thievery Corp, Iration) - Zero wait for the guys porta potties Cons: - You'll spend a shit ton to eat/drink once you're inside - For bevies you get: Shock Top, Stella, Goose Island (how in the HELL is not a single SD-based brewery available?) - Ladies had to wait in loooong lines for the porta potties - Cash only warnings outside (next to high priced ATM's) only to find out everyone takes cards inside read more

One word... AWFUL. My friends and I all bought VIP tickets thinking this was the way to go. While the $50 Uber credit was a positive, it was the only positive out of this whole experience. (Thanks Uber, at least you followed through on your commitment) What started out as a $107.50 day ended up being much, much more expensive considering the VIP tickets barely got us anything but in the door. They certainly didn't get us any oysters as promised. In fact, they promised all you could eat oysters. I was even planning a contest with my friend. Guess what? We didn't get ONE oyster from the VIP tent. We had to go buy them elsewhere at $20/dozen. The VIP booths for drinks and oysters were very late in getting set up. Lines for drinks were 25-50 deep. And oysters barely even made an appearance. The oysters were hours late in getting there and when they did, they had a very limited amount and only one guy shucking. They ran out before most people could get to them. So we had to spend $20/dozen at booths outside the VIP tent. And to top it off, the staff was rude and could have cared less that they were screwing people over. EPIC FAIL. I hope this event comes back under new management. Otherwise, I will definitely NOT be making another appearance. It was so awful I disputed the charges. My friend even met with their lawyers to start a class action suit. These guys don't deserve to make a dime off this event!!! read more

I just got an email about the 2015 event, and my initial response was "not going to that sh*tshow again." I also figured I'd finally yelp the event as I have been 4 of the 5 years they have done it in SD. The Good: The first year was by far the best, it wasn't super overcrowded it was cheaper, pepper played, and it drew a better (dare I say more mature) crowd. Good music, booze, and oysters. Seems hard to screw up right? The Bad: Wrong! Over the last three years I have had to deal with d*ckhead security guards, d*ckhead attendees, d*ckhead staff in the booths. It also gets more and more expensive every year and the much touted oysters seem to be less and less available. Last year we were paying double the price it costs to get oysters down the street at Bluewater grill and they were much lower quality. It also seems like this festival draws some of the worst people in San Diego out to work and attend the event. The Ugly: The line for the women's bathroom last year was about 2 miles long. Sucks for you ladies! Since children aren;t allowed in the concert area, this isn't really a kid freindly event as advertised. I really don't think it's dog friendly either with so many drunk idiots falling all over the place after slamming $10 rum and cokes. Maybe it iwll be better this year. Maybe. But that's what I told myself the last 2 years and was disapointed, so I'm not going to chance it again in 2015. read more

Got lost because it was a pain in the ass to get to. I drove past Seaport Village and parked elsewhere only to realise that it would have made more sense to park at Seaport Village instead of the Embarcadero. Im glad we purchased discount tickets with the free 2 dozen oysters ( which were just ok ) but I wished the vendors wouldve sold sampler plates instead of 6 or 12 of the same variety. Or even onesies or twosies. Overall I had a good time. Got free tickets to the Belly Up for Italian Japanese and won a red Jack in the Box t-shirt that I would never wear in public. Lots of restaurants were in attendance and when we went it wasnt too crowded but we did noticed that the lines were getting longer and longer as the day progressed. By the way. I got stung by a bee there. The little bastard's stinger was still in my arm when I flicked it off and for the next three days my left arm was swollen like Popeye's. It hurt. Its back to normal now but man, it sucked ! read more

I was initially excited to experience the SD Oysterfest. I mean, oysters, guinness, and live music! What's not to like, right? Our friends were kind enough to purchase our tickets beforehand which made it a breeze to get in. Once we got in we all agreed beer was in order. So we pushed through the masses and picked one of the tents to purchase a few brews. At $6 bucks a pop I was surprised. I limited myself due to the fairly long lines and douche bag obstacle course you had to endure to get out to the grass. The oysters were top notch and delicious but at $3 to $4 a hit, I quickly decided to stifle my hunger and try other eats. To sum up the SD Oysterfest I'd have to say its overpriced, overcrowded, disorganized, and poorly thought out. The only saving grace was the priceless people watching with snarky friends. Would I go back to the SD Oysterfest next year? Probably not. read more

1 star for Thievery Corporation. Everything else was grossly overpriced and not worth it. 18$ for 6 tiny oysters?! seriously? or $15 for some crappy sandwich. I enjoyed spiced cucumber margarita, but $15 left a bad aftertaste. San Diego has so many great restaurants or even food trucks and none of those vendors were present. Not worth it! read more

I realized yesterday at SD Oysterfest the residual effects of the ban of drinking alcohol on the public beach/parks. Unless you have been living under a rock you know that if you are caught drinking on the beach or in a public park in San Diego you will be slapped with a hefty fine. It was a luxury we once had, took it for granted and now are only able to do do if you are in a highly monitored and captive environment. Enter Oysterfest. $25 bucks in advance and $30 at the door. What does this get you? The answer is nothing. Nothing except entrance through the gates and the opportunity to drink by the bay with some of San Diego's greatest views. Enjoying such a luxury was once free to us San Diegans and now we pay because a few bad brewskis spoiled the case. Once in the gate you will have to pay for everything and you are paying a premium. The beer, booze and oysters are all retail prices but it is well organized and the selection is impressive. We enjoyed a dozen raw and a dozen BBQ'd oysters. My vote goes to the dozen BBQ'd which were topped with a warmed cocktail sauce and Tapatio for $20. There were other food options and one person in our group opted for the cheesesteak which was a pretty good buy, especially at an Oysterfest. We lasted about 4 or 5 hours at the event but can assure you that we would have only been there for about half of the time if we didn't land a table with an umbrella and chairs nice and early. It made all the difference in the world and I would suggest to the organizers that they look into adding more seating options like this to next year's event. Am I looking forward to next year? Not really. Will I be there next year? Probably, but I am not counting the days since I can go to Oceanaire 5 days a week and get a fantastic oyster for $1 during happy hour all year long. read more

This first-annual fest has so much potential! ...but the devil is in the details. Signage was TERRIBLE. There were other events going on in San Diego, and if I didn't know the fest was happening, I would have missed it entirely. Good variety of reasonably priced food, but lines to get oysters were slow as molasses. Lots of well marked bathrooms, garbage cans, and variety of both beer and cocktail tents. The stage faced a fenced 21+ only area, so any families with kids had to post up outside that fence & away from the stage entirely. If i had kids, i'd feel a little ripped off. A plus tho, dogs were allowed. :). The worst part of the event was that NO SCHEDULE was posted or distributed anywhere. Cooking Demos? Shuck & Suck Competition?.....or even just to let patrons know when bands are playing? Didn't exist!!! ...That is a rookie mistake at any festival. Great bands, great venue. I hope this event was enough of a success to warrant an annual party with ample time to smooth the kinks. read more

I agree with Melissa B. I wish there were signs leading to the festival. It wasn't until I was right by the entrance did I see "Oysterfest" signs. I was also disappointed that the stage was only for 21+ because I was with friends who were not 21! Next time, I think they should have a separated area for 21+ by the stage and a "family zone" or under 21 area for others. I also wanted to stay for the "shuck and suck" competition but I had no idea what time that was happening and I wasn't able to find anyone who knew. A schedule would be nice. The website for the festival was lacking as well. I only saw the start time for the festival but had no idea how long it went til. It would also help to have a schedule of the events. The festival was pretty small overall... I was expecting to see more booths with more "crazy" oyster recipes. Prices weren't bad and there were lots of shady areas so that if you wanted to sit on the grass, you were able to find a spot. Hopefully they make changes for next year! read more

A few friends and I got a table for this event. It was a really nice experience. Not to mention the free drinks all night. That made things interesting. All of the food that was served was really good too. The music was great, and again because we were back stage it made it all that much better. And our entrance was stage left, so coming out to dance and back was a sinch. There was sooooo many people. And everyone was having a great time. That made it fun for sure. I will definitely be coming every year to this fun event. read more

Really just a terrible event. I had high hope for San Diego Oyster Fest between tasty food, beer, and a pretty solid lineup of artists. I ended up springing a couple of $25 tickets. My $25 got me literally nothing but a stamp on the wrist. There was no food, no presale discount, no complimentary oyster. Nothing. When we got there every single person was standing in a line for something. There was literally nothing else going on. We went from the overpriced beer line to one of the 3 or 4 tents that had oysters at them. The music was the absolute worst part. They literally played a radio DJ for 2-3 hours, mashing up terrible songs and playing poppy lame hits. If Oysterfest comes back I will not be attending and will not recommend it to anyone. Total waste of a beautiful San Diego Saturday. read more

Beautiful location, music sounds great, good and happy crowds the years that we have been. Lots of 1 star reviews that I can't understand. Your $ 30-45 ticket is for 4-6 bands, not just the one band you may have come to see. Yes, a glass of wine will cost you $15. And news flash, a airport tuna sandwich will cost you $15. Vokab company, rftc, thievery corp.... we will definitely be back. read more

So this review is super late but here goes anyways. I have attended this event the last 3 years and have to say that this year was my least favorite. In addition to the music, people come to this thing for delicious food and booze. While I do have to say that this year a major improvement was made with respect to the addition of beer and alchohol tents, I have a feeling that this improvement was a result of the lack of food vendors at this event. There were only 2 tents that served oysters, and there were no local restaurants offering up oyster themed items which was very disappointing. The 3 places you could get food (lobster roll place, Roseville Cozinha, and the bbq place).... all ran out of food by I think 3pm. The crowds got so bad that the lobster roll place before they ran out of lobster, had to make people return 40 minutes after they placed their order to pick up their sandwiches. Poor planning on event staff's part... I hope they make up for it next year.... I also know that some people have complained about the $25 ticket price. However, I do have to say that there were several online deals for cheaper tickets this year. Perhaps, this should have been a clue that the event would not be up to par... Nevertheless, there were lots of musical acts, so I guess $25 is not so bad when you think of what you pay to go to a concert. read more

PLEASE BRING BACK THE SD OYSTERFEST... (but please bring with it NEW management!) On a nice warm day in SD what else is there to do than go downtown and see some good live music, eat some good food, & listen to some good music eh? That is what all of us wanted to do (an what appears all of OB did!) There were so good things that happened that day but mostly is was just a BAD BAD management day... THE GOOD: The bands that played kicked it and played well into the night. The food that was there was good and was in a good variety as were the drinks. The BAD: Drinks good only be had in fenced in areas... Poor taste my friend - I would like to have a beer and SEE a band play. The UGLY: There was NO SIGNS anywhere to be found or any schedules that told the crowd when bands would be starting or who was next on stage. I actually left the fest at one time to get a couple pitchers of beer at a local restaurant for a few hours and then came back for the bands. Also, the OYSTERS were not up to par for an OYSTERFEST. I was expecting a large variety of oysters to be had here and it just wasn't so... I am really looking forward to next year's OYSTERFEST here in SD as downtown is a great place for LIVE music (SD doesn't have a great music scene and this does help) but management needs to get their act together! read more

My wife and I thought the third time would be the charm but disappointed again. Having come later in the day the last few years, we finally made it just after it opened at noon. The goal was to avoid the VERY long wait times for oysters, food, drinks, and the restrooms. They have also run out of several types of oysters in both years past. We got here early enough to avoid an extremely long order time but it took 35 MINUTES for the RAW oysters to come out (ie no cooking required). And this is before it gets busy... Also, it's called OYSTERfest, there should be more than 3 booths selling oysters out of at least 30 stands. Or first year we came VIP - it was actually worse than the regular ticket due to overcrowding in the VIP area. This is our last time coming to OysterFest. Although the music is good, it's just not worth it. Thanks for reading! read more

This year was WAY better than last year! (ok, last year was thier FIRST year) much more organized and LOTS more oysters to choose from. Great venue, good food, great music, LOVE IT! Im going every year! read more

SD Oysterfest - Oh yeah!! - Festivals Near Me - San Diego, California

Very curious to find out when this event takes place? If anyone knows please let me know? Thx... I keep missing it every year, and I L-O-V-E OYSTERS! I wrote this before reading all the horrible experiences everyone has written. One year I was hoping to go and enjoy oysters, drinks, and entertainment. Unfortunately, it seems like I wasn't missing out on anything after all- just turned into a "Hype Event" Running out of food, with long lines, will turn people away. You can't advertise such an event, and have one, after another write bad reviews. Ohhhhh, well... I guess I'll stick to Point Loma Seafoods and get my o-y-s-t-e-r-s..... Boo, hoo! Darn, I'll pass on this one- read more

Oysterfest was a great day! The day ended up being a warm, sunny day so it was perfect for being outside. They had a good lineup of local bands and others from the SF bay area. The venue was great for pulling up a seat on the lawn and enjoying a cold beer. The bands played from noon to 10pm so you get your money's worth of good music! The shuck & suck competition happened around 6:00PM and as a novice to seeing something like that I'd say it's something you have to see to believe. (The winner ate something like 60!) Most of the beer and liquor booths were staffed by volunteers from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training program so tips went to helping the local community and to finding a cure for blood-related cancers and the organizers and some of the vendor also gave portions of the proceeds to the cause. How bad can it be to have a beer to cure cancer? I hope to see OysterFest back next year! read more

It was great fun! I had some delicious oysters (BBQ and garlic) & some grilled shrimp. There wasn't much of a wait for the food (didn't wait more than 2 minutes), but the beer lines seemed really long. It was such a nice day & people were just lounging around, eating, drinking, listening to music, and seemed to be having a really great time. It was $12-$14 for 6 amazing oysters & $6 for 6 grilled shrimp. The place was packed, but in a good way. The only reason i didn't give 4 or 5 stars was due to the lack of variety. I wish they had more food booths. I recall...oysters (a fee different versions), Philly cheese steak, fries, grilled shrimp, quesadillas, maybe two other types of burger/sandwiches...and alcohol. For such a big place, they could've had more booths. But it was still a great time! Definitely worth it! read more

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Horrible waste of money!! Ridiculously expensive food & drink Not enough seats. Everything about this event sucks. read more

I had a blast at the fest- so I'm kind of bummed to see all the criticism. The weather was absolutely gorgeous on the bay- the best of the week. Had no problems with the parking- ended up carpooling with 3 friends (I know- it's a rarity in southern california!) and we all chipped in for the $10 day-pass in the Hilton parking lot. 2 friends had the VIP passes through Groupon, and seemed quite pleased with the free beer selection and other grub. I may or may not have sampled a bit of their fare, as well, and was a bit bummed by missing out on the last VIP pass before the deal closed online! Next year I'll be on it! Did I not mention the oysters? I think I'm set on oysters for the next year, if that's even possible. Oyster shooters, 12 varieties of fresh oysters, oyster tacos and, my favorite, fried oyster and pulled pork sandwich from Searsucker. Man that was good eating. Local crafts weren't too shabby either, to wash everything down. If I'm not back next year call somebody- because there would have to be something seriously wrong with me to keep me from this event! read more

Brutal reviews here. I actually had a fantastic time and didn't have any issues finding it, but I guess knowing the area makes a difference. If you follow a map, there's really only one possibility for where they could be holding the event. All the oysters were delicious, and if you come here not loving oysters and are looking for food that is oyster-less then you should definitely have avoided an event called oysterfest. They were expensive, and they definitely should've managed their free dozen oyster ticket line much better, but they did explain that some shuckers didn't show and they were seriously shorthanded. In any case, yes the oysters and the beer were a little expensive, but again.. what did you expect? The boy and I had a fantastic time.. the weather was great, the oysters were amazing, and the crowd was fun. The only reason why I'm not giving this event more stars is because I'm sitting at my desk eating wheat thins for lunch. I won't blame oysterfest too much for that one, since oysters, from anywhere, are infamous for giving people stomach pains, and I knew that one going in. read more

Summary: If you're an oyster lover, you'll probably be disappointed by the lack of oysters. But if you like to drink and hang out in a lively environment, you'll get over it and have a good time. Details: I first heard about oyster fest a few years ago. I missed it the first year, then choose not to go because of the scathing reviews out there (and not just on Yelp). But my friend invited me to go this year, because he's a big fan of Matt and Kim, the headlining musical act. I thought, why not. I'll finally give it a try. I have to agree that this hardly qualifies as an oyster "fest". There were only three different oyster vendors there, occupying four separate booths, and only five varieties of oysters that I saw. All were west coast oysters, and I only saw two different preparations -- on the half shell or grilled. At $2 an oyster and up (based on variety), prices were ok, but definitely not a deal. There were way more alcohol booths than oyster booths. Beers were an average of $8 for 16oz, and hard alcohol (in a measured pour) was $11 I think. There was wine too, but I forget the price. This event is more like a party by the bay that happens to have oysters, than an actual oyster festival. The crowd was good. Mostly yuppie, white blondes. Nice eye candy, but a bit homogenized. Mostly 20- and 30-somethings. The music was fine. It was interesting, but not great. Bathroom lines were long and slow moving for the girls, but a men's only urinal section kept me a happy camper! And they weren't troughs! They were individual urinals, a bit close together, but affording some privacy. Face value admission is over priced at $32. I got a discount ticket for $20, but I also saw deals for as little as $15 (after I already bought mine). I wouldn't suggest anyone pay more than $20. I had a good time overall. I'd go again if I had nothing better to do on a nice weather day, but only if I got a discounted admission. Extra tip: For those looking for a regular oyster fix, check out Herringbone in La Jolla for quality, and South Beach Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach for quantity. read more

SD Oysterfest - Drake's Bay oysters on the half shell. $10 - Festivals Near Me - San Diego, California

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Still running out of oysters again ! We got there early and the oysters they did have were so tiny it was a joke... you are better off going to a nice restaurant and get your money's worth and good service at least first beer we ordered was 1/2 foam... at least learn hire experienced bartenders for this event... they are clearly doing things on the cheap and taking advantage of people for the sake of greed such a Poor value! the shock top honey bourbon beer was good read more

Direction....zero........so we did have some trouble locating it and even the cabbie struggled and ended up dropping us off just out side seaport village. The live music was good, just wish they started earlier and have the DJ end. Food was reasonably priced and so was the beer/ liquor. I not so keen on oysters....epesically if they have been lying in the sun...so I just watched people eat them, but there seemed to be a good selection. I would of given 4 stars but the event needs to be a little more organization and the staff were a little under qualified and inexperienced but all in all I had a great day and hope to go again next year. read more

I would like to start by stating I am 32 and may have felt differently about Oysterfest if I was 21. First off, Oysterfest is about $45 to get in and all that covers is admission to the festival. Not a deal breaker for me because I was really excited about seeing Rebelution. We arrived about 4 hours before Rebelution was set to go on only to find out once you enter you are in and cannot leave. Ok, fine, we will make the best of it and walk around, grab some drinks, eat some food. Well that lasted about 10 minutes since the festival is actually not that large and there were limited choices to eat. Not to mention beers were $10 each. Finally, Rebelution goes on and we are ready! As we walk up to the show we notice that no matter where we stand we can't see the stage. The audience is located on an incline of a grass field but the stage is at the bottom of the incline in a pit almost which makes it impossible for the majority of people to even see the performers. At this point I realized I paid $45 to not see a concert. I will never attend Oysterfest again unless their are some significant changes to the festival. It seems crazy to me that you pay $45 only to enter and aren't guaranteed to view the concert. The ONLY plus to the night was that the venue allows dogs. I thought this was great as lots of people hate to leave their dogs all day. Most people were really happy to see all the dogs around and it was the only bonus of the day. Overall, if you are debating on going I would say pass and wait till your favorite band plays at another venue. read more

Definitely room for improvement with this one. Didn't get there when the gate opened, so I was afraid that there would be a crush of people - NOT! Advertisement and directions were poor. High entrance fee, limited number of booths providing food at an exorbitant price (e.g., $4 for one small crab cake - uh, what kind of festival is this again?) and the "Cooking Demos" didn't happen. There was a beer garden - that they could charge for, but not the whole festival. Music was decent - sit on the lawn and relax. Few people stuck around for very long... better things to do with their time and money; especially in this tight economy. Snack and go find a meal somewhere else. Yes, I do understand that this is the 1st Annual OyesterFest, so like I said... read more

I go every year! Always end up going on a Friday for the headliner. Last year was thievery corporation. Which for me is one of my favorite artists. $35 is not much. There are usually maybe one additional good artist. But it's the atmosphere. Sunshine, boats around the venue this showcases our sunny San Diego. This year Ghostland Observatory will be playing which I love love. Stop complaining about parking. Take an uber or leave at a decent time. So many haters expecting the world for $35. I took off one star as the beer selection could be better. read more

Good GOD this was awful! To sum it up: MONEY MAKING SCAM! Luckily I got a deal through Goldstar to this for 50% off. I feel sorry for all of the people that paid the full thirty something dollars for this. 1. The ticket prices are incredibly stupid. This event should be free. At least give a away something with the entrance tickets - an oyster ticket...a drink ticket...SOMETHING!? It's simply NOT worth the ticket prices just for the entrance. Wondering why? They claim the entrance ticket is for the music but meh (the bands are terrible) and oyster fest is more like oyster-bust. Read on... 2. When something has the label of "fest" that should be the main highlight of the "fest." Oysters were far from the main attracting. It seemed to me like it was all about the alcohol. There were more alcohol booths than oyster booths! Not only that, but there were only three different types of oyster vendors there. There was also nothing INTERESTING about the oyster "fest". Oysters on a half shell....who cares!? There are many places in San Diego to get Oysters on a half-shell for only a dollar...(Herringbone for example). Make it interesting - not just oysters on a half shell. Management seems to be clueless about this oyster fest. Feature some local restaurant chefs that put a different spin on serving oysters and have some different recipes for sauces to accompany them. Have something interactive for people to do (oyster shucking contest....oyster eating contest...etc...). Something, ANYTHING would be better than the few booths that actually served oysters there. 3. If you're going to keep the the title of a "fest" you should really consider make oysters the main attracting. They're clearly not. Which is such a shame. It's such a nice venue and such a nice city and there are so many good local restaurant chefs that you could get involved to really make it a fun time. The group of people that I went with probably spent a little over an hour there then got bored and left. We took our money elsewhere and spent it in the Gaslamp and had a much better time. Thank goodness we went at noon when it first opened so we didn't have to deal with the horrendous lines that I've only heard about. Dear management: when you reorganize this festival and actually feature oysters, let me know. I'll be enjoying DELICIOUS oysters at one of the local establishments that you should really consider involving.... read more

I should've read the Yelp reviews before agreeing to this event. It was disorganized as soon as my group and I showed up. No signage to tell the different entries apart and the staff was giving contradictory answers. When we finally got in, we headed straight to a beer booth. We were told they couldn't sell us beer b/c we didn't have a wrist band and asked how did we get in. Someone appeared out of nowhere and gave us all wrist bands. We spent a fortune on oysters that were good, but I'm sure we could've spent less for more comfortable seating. We'll save our money and watch/listen to the bands from the sidewalk. read more

One star for sure!!! I would even go down to half a star. Complete joke!!! For 25 dollars with over 3 bucks of service charge, you get nothing. That's just the fee to get in the gate. The six of us got there at 11am which was the said open time. Waited for 30 minutes outside the gate since they were having problem clearing city health inspection. Once we got in, nothing was ready!!! no oysters, no beer. All the vendors were just standing around waiting for something. We were like, what the hell? who organized this? This is not their first year of doing this. We walked all over and finally found one booth with a tapped keg for 6 dollars a plastic cup. Music wasn't playing for another half an hour and when they actually played it was so loud we couldn't even hear ourselves talk. And get this, it's called oysterfest but they only have two, seriously only two oyster vendors, Carlsbad Oyster farm and Drakes Bay oyster. That's it!!! What a waste of money and time. The only positive for the whole experience was the beautiful weather. They should really change their name to lame sauce fest. read more

I guess I'll repeat what everyone else has said or say things people do not want to say. I only came with my girl because she loves Thievery Corporation. I actually loved their show. It was a great performance and they had the crowd going. The venue was in North Embarcadero right next to Seaport Village. Sure you had the bay in the background along with the many yachts in the port that looked great....but just trying to get their was horrendous. You couldn't park in Seaport Village because they weren't allowing it but of course everyone parked there which they didn't have any space by the way. Even if you were getting dropped off by Uber, Lyft or a taxi getting in was a pain in the ass. It's a Saturday, it's sunny and it's the beginning of the summer. The tourist along with everyone else is in town. So the festival cost $30 some odd dollars. For 1/2 a dozen oyster on a half shelf you'll be paying $18!!! The craft beer will then cost you $9 a cup!!! Holy shit!!! There was of course long lines for the bathroom but I blame that on how they were arranged. I mean c'mon... The event is called an Oyster Festival but no one got one single oyster for free. I've been to craft beer events around San Diego and paid the same price and I got all the free samples I wanted. None here none at all. But even if you got any they weren't anything to rave about. The Pacific Northwest, East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico has better oysters. The only positive things where the line-up. How about changing the name to something relating to the line-up instead of oysters! The only vendor that was worth getting food from was the ceviche from Barley Mash! Now that was worth the price. I should have brought my own bottle as the security didn't bother to check for anything besides the your ticket. The event coordinators and promoters will probably do the same thing next year... read more

Boyfriend and I had a great time here. In the heart of SD! First, Parking was awful, and most street parking is 2hr max when this event is way longer. I wish they would have a designated area for parking. We got trapped when we thought we could find parking at seaport village, don't even try. When we finally got in, the atmosphere was awesome, vendors were great. We enjoyed half dozen of oysters (great quality!) and a seafood po' boy! Yummy! We will be back next year! read more

Got my ticket on Goldstar and I'm glad I didn't pay full price for this because the GA ticket literally just gets you into the event. By the time I arrived at 5pm, most of the vendors were sold out of food. Didn't eat a single oyster (heard they were overpriced anyway, $12 for a half doz). Beer was $6/ea and dropped to $5/ea around 6:30pm. Porta potties ran out of TP around 6. Music schedule was running an hour behind. Luckily the weather was perfect and Mayer Hawthorne was great, which made the ticket price and lack of food worth the wait. You'd think since this is their fourth year they would have things in order by now! read more

Poorly run event! Paid $60 for my wife and I and never had 1 oyster. Waited in 3 different lines for over 1/2 hour each only to find they were out of food when we finally made it to the tent counters. Waited the same for a beer line only to find out that they had run out of other beers and only had Budlight (yuck). This all happened before 4:30 pm and the event runs until 7:30! I couldn't believe it when I saw they were still taking people's money when we left at 5:00 pm. Lame. read more