Living on the coast, Powell Riverites are blessed with the gift of the sea and food it provides. To celebrate this gift, the community of Lund hosts the annual Shellfish Festival.
Three days of local music, boat tours, cooking demonstrations and of course, tons of seafood, are in store for anyone who attends.
The festival kicks off with a bang with the Chowder Challenge, 6 to 9 pm, Friday, May 27 at Lund Community Hall. Local restaurants will go head-to-head to earn the title of Best Chowder. Participating in this year’s challenge will be Lund Hotel, Boardwalk Restaurant, Nancy’s Bakery, the Laughing Oyster Restaurant, Tree Frog Bistro, Manzanita, Savoury Bight Seaside Restaurant and Pub, Hemingway Bed and Breakfast and Lund Deli. Competitors prepare their most delectable chowder and festival goers decide which one stands above the rest.
Upon arrival, guests will receive numbered cups and a voter’s card. Then, the chowder sampling begins. Voters cast their vote and receive a full serving of their favourite dish. Chowders range from cream-based to Manhattan-style, and everything in between. Along with their chowder, voters will enjoy an assortment of local food including salads, oysters, salmon and freshly steamed prawns. This year, there will also be a silent auction. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Powell River Visitors’ Centre or by calling 604.485.4701.
Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, provide the rest of this amazing festival. Local aquaculture farmers set up on the dock from noon to 5 pm on both days with some of the freshest seafood around. Oysters will be shucked right in front of onlookers. On Sunday, there will be a pancake breakfast provided by the Lund volunteer firefighters, as well as an oyster contest. Judges come from all over BC to sample and award BC’s Top Oyster. There is also a People’s Choice Award.
The festival finishes with a cooking demonstration on Sunday night, followed by a sunset tour. This weekend truly is a family event. Where better to celebrate BC’s coastal shellfish than Lund?
Angela Devita is in her second summer with Tourism Powell River and can be found in the Visitors’ Centre and on the ferry to Comox via the Travel Ambassador Program.
