Changes Led to Oyster Fest Success, Record Crowds

The final numbers have yet to be tallied. The beer tickets and wristbands are all stashed away in bins waiting to be counted. It will be a week, about, until they know for sure just how many people showed up to party in the White Street parking lot, but an educated guess from Red Bank RiverCenter puts attendance at the Red Bank Guinness Oyster Festival at as many as 15,000 people.

The annual event, now three years down, has become one of downtown Red Bank’s signature events. Developed and organized by RiverCenter, the music, food and beer extravaganza has grown over the course of the past three years thanks to several minor improvements to an already winning formula.

In an effort to attract a more age-diverse crowd, Nancy Adams, executive director of the RiverCenter, said there was a concerted effort to bring in more varied and popular musical acts. While the musical offerings of years past have never been a disappointment, the event’s soundtrack was often relegated to background noise. This year, however, music took a more prominent role in the event. Acts like Brian Kirk and the Jirks helped bring in local audiences, she said, Inky Jack attracted younger crowds, and headliners the Nerds and Black 47, an Irish rock band based in New York City, helped draw visitors from a wider regional area.

As always, organizers also addressed some niggling issues that cropped up during the first two years of the event. Adams said RiverCenter increased its presence by bringing in 100 volunteers to help sell tickets, clean up and monitor the fence for those daft enough to try and sneak into the festival, which charges $5 for entry and donates a portion of the proceeds to charity.

The event also ditched tables and chairs in favor of high top tables. In past years, Adams said a few people often monopolized the tables and chairs, hanging out instead of moving along and sharing the seating. That’s no longer a problem. A second entrance was also provided to help facilitate entrance into the event.

And of course there was the food. Though Oyster Fest, along with every other event that showcases Red Bank’s restaurants, always had plenty of good food, there was a bit of a dearth of actual oysters. This year, however, oysters on the half shell were joined by several other oyster offerings, a change that helped the food festival appear a bit more like an oyster festival.

While the third year of the Oyster Festival was a great success, there still are some issues that will need tending to as RiverCenter and promoters like Rue Events look toward future fests. With big crowds came big lines. Though Adams said she didn’t hear any complaints, a couple of visitors sounded off about the lines and the beer purchasing system, which requires the thirsty to wait in line to purchase tickets and then wait in line to pick up their drink. And, later in the day, those long beer lines turned into long lines for the bathroom.

Long line issues, though they will be addressed, are also an indication of just how popular Oyster Fest has become. It’s even prompted some very early thought about expanding the event from beyond the White Street lot. When asked Monday if Guinness Oyster Festival had outgrown the parking lot, Adams said she had heard the same questions multiple times already. It’s something she said she and a core group of folks would be discussing, though logistics could make it difficult. The White Street lot already has a dedicated border, and since the event includes alcohol, it helps to coral event goers into a clearly defined space.

But, if Red Bank expects 15,000 or more people to show up regularly for its Oyster Fest, Adams said expansion might be something to consider.