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Freshly shucked local oysters are but one of the stars of the show at the annual Downbeach Seafood Festival which takes place this weekend at Ski Beach in Ventnor.
The shoulder season at the shore is upon us, and one of the most highly anticipated events of the season is set to return this weekend.
Now in its third year at Ventnor’s Ski Beach, the Downbeach Seafood Festival comes to town Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17 and 18, for two days of deliciously good times.
The Journey to DownbeachThe event was formerly known as the Atlantic City Seafood Festival and established itself as a popular yearly event in the area. But after many years at Bader Field, the decision was made to relocate to Ventnor, making for a more intimate (and arguably more enjoyable) experience.
Along with the change of venue came a change of name, and, in 2019, The Downbeach Seafood Festival was born. Since then, its reputation has only grown, with many attendees preferring the new space.
“It’s an intimate location, and it has created this cool backdrop for the event,” says Jon Henderson, the main man behind Good Time Tricycle Productions, the company that puts on the Downbeach Seafood Festival.
“It’s on the water, there is green grass, it’s got a really great neighborhood vibe, and that’s something that the Festival didn’t have in the past. It was always a good festival, but the way events are trending now, people don’t want to be so packed in with a million people. A more intimate experience that offers an opportunity to discover some incredible food goes a long way with the consumer now, and I think that in that sense we have inadvertently pushed the Festival in the right direction.”
The EatsAs the Festival’s name clearly implies, fresh seafood will of course be the main star of the show at the Downbeach Seafood Festival. But unlike many festivals, Henderson and his team have made sure to heavily feature local restaurants from around South Jersey.
Familiar names like PJ Buckets, Jay’s Crab Shack, Water Dog Smokehouse, Bourre, Blue Claw Crab House and Dougherty’s Steakhouse and Raw Bar are just a handful of the spots folks will stumble upon during the two-day event.
“We have success with pretty much all of our festivals because we always integrate the community. The festival itself becomes part of the community. And every moving part at this festival is Jersey-generated, from the vendors to the charitable partners and beyond. We have more than 20 restaurants and food trucks and they are all from the area. We want to introduce people to the local businesses that are doing seafood well and we want to keep people coming back to this region for that very purpose, so it makes sense that everyone that participates in the festival is from here.”
With so many local seafood restaurants on hand, just about every seafood dish you can imagine will be up for the taking, from crab cakes and fried shrimp to oysters, scallops and, of course, lobster. But if you’re a bit overwhelmed and looking for advice on what to try, the man behind the festival has some words of wisdom:
“If I could personally eat seafood 24/7, I 100% would,” Henderson says. I am clearly a seafood carnivore, but I consider myself a lobster roll aficionado. I prefer a chilled lobster roll with a dab of mayonnaise, but I’ll eat a hot lobster roll too. I went to Maine on a trip to visit Alagash Brewery and I ate nothing but lobster rolls for three days straight. Lobster roll is where it’s at.”
The ContestsThere will be a crab cake eating contest sponsored by Jay’s Crab Shack as well as the annual Chowder Cook Off, with proceeds going to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. Attendees can purchase tickets for $10 to sample and cast their vote for whose chowder is this year’s champ.
Local brewskisFew things pair more perfectly with scrumptious seafood than ice cold beer, and the Great Brews of NJ beer tent will be on hand slinging the suds all weekend. A mini beer fest unto itself, Great Brews gathers 14 of the top local craft breweries all under one tent. Guests can purchase 10 samples for $10.
What else?No festival can survive on seafood alone, no matter how delicious it might be, and that’s why the Downbeach Seafood Festival offers guests a variety of fun things to check out throughout the day.
Live music is a part of just about every event Good Time Tricycle puts on and the Seafood Fest is no exception. Attendees can look forward to performances from Cat 5 and Funk Daddy on Saturday followed by Kicking Sunrise and Stealing Savanah on Sunday.
In addition to the tunes, the South Pacific Island Dancers will entertain on both days of the fest, bringing some fun and festive Polynesian rhythms into the mix.
Cooking demos and a wine seminar will take place as well, offering you the chance to snag a few insider tips while sampling the goods.
And if you love to shop, you’re in luck, as there will also be a long list of vendors selling everything from hand-crafted jewelry and glass art to locally produced hot sauces, beef jerky, dog treats and all points in between.
Kids can knock back a few crab cakes before heading to the Playing in the Street Kids Zone, an area filled with fun activities like bouncy houses, sidewalk chalk, giant-sized Jenga and more.
Where: Ski Beach, Dorset and Burk avenues, Ventnor
When: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17 and 18.
How much: Tickets are $10 for adults if purchased in advance, or $15 for same day tickets; free for children 12 and under. Advance tickets can be purchased at DownbeachSeafoodFest.com
Insider tip: If you buy your tickets in advance, you’ll be allowed into the festival at 11 a.m. to enjoy a full hour of smaller crowds before they open up the gates to everyone else.
Below is the official list of restaurants and food vendors that will be appearing at The Downbeach Seafood Festival:
Cape May Salt’s Oysters
Dak Daddy’s Oyster Shack
Dougherty’s Steakhouse & Raw Bar
Star of the Sea Seafood
Vagabond Kitchen & Tap House
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Associate Editor, At The Shore/ACWeekly
Freelance reporter for At The Shore/Atlantic City Insiders from 2011-2015; Editor in Chief, MainStreetMarlboro.com,2014-2015; Writer for Zagat, 2013
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Freshly shucked local oysters are but one of the stars of the show at the annual Downbeach Seafood Festival which takes place this weekend at Ski Beach in Ventnor.
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