The festival offers plenty of entertainment, including live music, cooking demonstrations, food stalls and activities for families. Visitors can also learn more about the history and importance of oysters to the local area.

One of the highlights is the friendly and lively atmosphere, which brings the local community and visitors together. The Stranraer Oyster Festival is a great way to experience local Scottish food, culture and entertainment while enjoying the beautiful surroundings of Dumfries and Galloway.

To find out a bit more, we sat down to speak to Chair of Stranraer Development Trust, Romano Petrucci who explained: "This old lady had walked into the cafe. I was frying chips one day, and she said, 'Here's a picture of my great-grandfather fishing oysters'. 

"I couldn't understand what that had to do with what I was trying to achieve as I was trying to bring a bit of pride back to Stranraer after the boats had left to move to Cairnryan.

"She left me the picture, and I kind of let it go. The next day I saw it sitting on my desk, Googled it, and to my absolute and utter amazement, I found out that within two miles of where I sit the now, we've got the last remaining wild and native oyster bed in all of Scotland. I went crazy.

"I spent literally 72 hours non-stop putting together an idea of an oyster festival, conscious of the fact that it was a working-class town, conscious of the, the fact that not a lot of people like oysters, and very aware of the fact that people look at oysters as being elitist which is absolute nonsense."

Stranraer Oyster Festival returns to the shores of Loch Ryan from 11 to 13 September, celebrating what organisers describe as Scotland’s last remaining wild native oyster bed. Launched in 2017 as part of efforts to regenerate Stranraer following the loss of the town’s ferry traffic, the festival has grown into one of south-west Scotland’s biggest food events, attracting 26,000 visitors in 2024.

This year’s programme features chefs Matt Tebbutt, Tony Singh, Rosemary Shrager and Julie Lin. The harbourside weekend also features the Scottish Oyster Shucking Championship, with the winner qualifying to represent Scotland at the World Oyster Opening Championships in Galway, as well as an oyster-eating competition, live music, an artisan market, family activities and a huge oyster bar serving Loch Ryan natives.