Description
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The NSW South Coast is calling. Australia’s iconic oyster festival returns to Narooma in 2026.
Celebrate the Rock Oyster and its growers with world class chefs, producers, vintners, distillers and brewers, right where the best oysters grow.
Set on the foreshore of Wagonga Inlet, one of NSW’s celebrated oyster growing estuaries, the Narooma Oyster Festival is a vibrant fusion of merroir, exceptional temperate seafood and produce, live music and unforgettable festival atmosphere. Across three delicious days, the program showcases the best of the harvest and the people, places and flavours that make Rock Oyster Country so distinctive.
On the menu are cooking demonstrations, Oyster Farmers Alley, premium culinary experiences and two standout competitions, the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships and Australia’s Biggest Oyster. Live music will be headlined by Sarah McLeod, alongside Spindrift Saga, Sunday Lemonade, Waikama, Jack Biilmann, Val Moogz, Howlin’ Mitch Trio, Chelsey Atkins, Jakob Poyner, Piper Allan and Narooma High School.
The cooking demonstration program features Courtney Roulston of Farm to Fork, Adi De Jesus Davo, Brendan Boothroyd of Duxton Pubs SA, Jeff Razon of The Oyster Cove, Batemans Bay, and Mateo Ponti of Mimosa Wines at Murrah..
Take a deeper dive into merroir in an Ultimate Oyster Experience, wander through Oyster Farmers Alley, sharpen your skills in a shucking class, or cruise Wagonga Inlet with bubbles and freshly shucked Rock Oysters. Each day also offers beautifully curated dining, bar and cruise experiences for those wanting to elevate their festival weekend.
Just two hours from Canberra and four hours from Sydney, Narooma means “land of the clear blue waters” in the language of the Yuin People. Alongside the oyster festivities, the region’s beaches, national parks, mountain bike trails, marine life and neighbouring towns and villages make it an ideal autumn getaway.
Children aged 17 and under enter free with a ticketed adult. Free tickets must still be booked, and children must be accompanied by an adult on the day.
See our FAQs here
Tickets:
General Admission Friday, Saturday, Sunday (Children under 17 enter free with an adult)
+Seared & Salty supported by Olsson's Salt (GA included)
+Rock Oyster Lounge (GA included)
+Petersons Wines Sparkling Oyster Cruises
+Sydney Royal Ultimate Oyster Experience
+Master the Shuck, Oyster Opening Class
+Cook's Corner, a reserved seat at the Betta Cooking Stage
+Sunday Morning Yoga
+Sunday Sunrise Breakfast Cruise
+Narooma's Biggest Breakfast
FAQs
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Lineup
Sarah McLeod
Headlining Friday night and Saturday afternoon, Sarah McLeod's musical career spans 30 years. She is the founding member, front woman and guitarist of The Superjesus, a multi-ARIA Award-winning band, inductee of the South Australian Music Hall of Fame and Director of Australian Women in Music. Beyond The Superjesus, Sarah has released multiple solo albums, toured extensively and built a parallel career in theatre, including acclaimed roles in Green Day’s American Idiot and Jane Eyre. Sarah will be supported by Sunday Lemonade, Jack Biilmann & the Black Tide, Spindrift Saga, Waikama, Val Moogz, Howlin Mitch & The Habaneros, Chelsy Atkins, Jakob Poyner, Peper Allan and the Narooma High School Band.
Australian Oyster Shucking Champions
The 2025 Australian Oyster Shucking Champions, Greg Carton (Broadwater Oysters, Pambula) and Sally McLean (Jim Wild's Oysters) will be back to shuck for gold in 2026! It's one of the most unique races in the world, where more than 25 competitors draw on all their skills, speed and presentation to earn a spot at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Ireland later in the year.
Australia's Biggest Oyster
Hosted by Sarah McLeod, this is a pet parade for giant oysters! Home of the world’s biggest oyster - Jill, who weighed in at 3.2kg in 2024 - this festival favourite shines a light on the Pacific Oyster, a species that can grow to weigh several kilograms and live for up to a decade.
Oyster Farmers Alley
Meet the farmers and embark on a taste journey of the estuaries of the NSW South Coast - there’s no place like it! Grab a beverage from South Coast vintners, distillers and brewers too.
Courtney Roulston
Courtney returns for her fifth year of hosting the Betta Cooking Stage – and she will prepare a dish too! As host of Farm to Fork (Network 10) a regular guest on Sunrise Breakfast and Ambassador of Second Bite Charity, Courtney is an avid oyster lover, chef, caterer and Sydney Swans supporter (she’s their head chef too!). Courtney first rose to fame in Series 2 of MasterChef Australia 2010 and every year she saves the date for Narooma Oyster Festival.
John Susman
A man who can determine merroir almost by sight alone, John Susman hosts our Ultimate Oyster Experiences and the Australian Oyster Shucking Championships. As Chair of Judges for the Sydney Royal Aquaculture Competition, podcaster extraordinaire (Fishtales, a Seafood podcast) and champion of vertically integrated seafood business, his knowledge of Rock Oysters and Australian seafood are unparalleled.
Adi De Jesus-Davo
Be sure to follow @theflipchef on Instagram and TikTok for Adi's chef life and love of South East Asian foods. The 2024 AHA Chef of the Year will join the line-up for the Betta Cooking Stage and can't wait to get her hands on Narooma's bounty.
Brendan Boothroyd
Hailing from Adelaide and South Australia, Brendan was named 2025 AHA Chef of the Year. As Group Executive Chef for Duxton Pubs, he loves to get on the tools and share his skills and passions with everyone, from apprentices to festival goers!
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
