Shuckers From Around the World Will Race to Open Oysters on a Galway Street at the Seventy Second Oyster Festival
The World Oyster Opening Championship is the centrepiece of a festival first held in 1954, with the Irish championship expected on the Friday evening.
The World Oyster Opening Championship will be staged live on the street in Galway on Saturday 26 September 2026, the centrepiece of the 72nd Galway International Oyster and Seafood Festival, which runs in the west of Ireland city from 25 to 27 September.
Discover Ireland says the championship will feature competitors from around the world. Galway Tourism lists it for 3pm on Cross Street and says the Irish Oyster Opening Championships are expected on the Friday evening, although it notes that the programme is still to be confirmed.
First held in September 1954, the festival is billed as the world's longest-running oyster festival. Galway Tourism says it has welcomed more than half a million visitors over the decades, who have eaten more than 3 million oysters, traditionally washed down with champagne and stout.
The main events are free, according to Discover Ireland, and the 2026 programme includes a pop-up street food market, live entertainment, shore walks, and free talks and exhibits on maritime culture and heritage. A seafood trail through the city's restaurants, with Galway oysters on the menu, is also planned.
Other expected events include oyster farm tours on the Friday and a Parade of Flags on the Saturday afternoon, alongside a Docklands maritime afternoon and the Galway Docklands Festival.