It’s Oyster Eat/Shrimp Feast Time in Southern Delaware!
This final weekend in February brings one of the longest standing traditions in southern Delaware, as men from throughout the county and the state arrive in Georgetown for the 2019 version of the local fire department’s famous Oyster Eat.
As always, this is a stag event, a chance for men to hang out with other men and discuss the pressing issues of the day. At least as much as the nonstop supply of beer and steamed oysters allow them to do so.
Going on for nearly a century now, there’s no other event in southern Delaware quite like the beer drinking, oyster slurping tradition that is the Oyster Eat.
We’ll tell you much more about this below, as well as the latest edition of the ladies-only shrimp feast in Lewes and a relatively new event happening on the same evening in another part of Georgetown.
But in addition to the Oyster Eat, we also have a few other fun events to tell you about for this final weekend of February. It should be another great time here in the coastal region.
Oyster Eat (February 22). The long-time Sussex County tradition is being held for the 82nd year and promises another great year of raw and steamed oysters, cold beverages and great fellowship at the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department.
Always held on the final Friday of February in the Sussex County Seat, the tradition of the Oyster Eat is passed down from generation to generation and is a coming of age event for young men in southern Delaware. Men (yes it’s a stag event) come from throughout the state each year to participate in the long-time tradition.
The Oyster Eat has been featured on national television, was once the subject of a feature in New Yorker magazine and has been honored as a Library of Congress Local Legacy event for its historical and cultural significance to Sussex County.
Tickets to the Oyster Eat cost $27 in advance and $30 at the door, but get there early because the line will form several hours before the 8 p.m. beginning of the event.
For more information on the 2019 Georgetown Oyster Eat, call 302-856-7700 or visit www.georgetown77.com.
Ladies Shrimp Feast (February 22). Not to be outdone by the men, the ladies of Sussex County will be holding their 29th annual Shrimp Feast in Lewes, on Friday night at the Lewes Volunteer Fire Company’s Nassau station.
Scheduled for 8 p.m. to midnight on the same evening as the men’s Oyster Eat (February 22), the Shrimp Feast costs $30 a person and includes unlimited shrimp, hot dogs and beer.
There will also be gift baskets, gift cards and jewelry items raffled off throughout the course of the evening.
For more information on the 2019 Ladies Shrimp Feast, call 302-645-6556 or visit www.lewesfire.com.
Annual Winter Gala (February 23). This year’s winter gala in Dewey Beach will be held at the Starboard on Route 1, and is scheduled to run from 8 p.m. until 1 a.m.
The theme for 2019 is “Havana Nights” and will include an open bar, food stations, a cigar bar and live music from “Blue Cat Blues Band,” “The 19th Street Band” and “Chris Ferrara and the Common Good.”
Proceeds from this year’s event benefit both Dewey Beach Public Safety and Dewey Beach Events.
For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the event website here.
