Oyster Bay Oyster Fest 2026: From Oudolf Garden to the Harbor

Every October for 43 years, Oyster Fest has pulled the hamlet's weekend toward the water. On Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, the 43rd festival opens on Audrey Avenue and in Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park. That same day, Planting Fields opens its new Oudolf Garden to the public. Planting Fields describes it as Piet Oudolf's first garden on Long Island.

Two openings on one Saturday could have forced a hard choice. You don't have to make one, because the arboretum opens at 9 a.m. and the festival doesn't open until 11, which leaves two hours for the garden before the downtown crowds arrive. If you live here, you can see the garden in the morning and reach the harbor by early afternoon.

An Acre That Took Three Years to Plant

The garden's timeline helps explain why it opens the same weekend as the festival. According to the Long Island Herald, Planting Fields Foundation CEO Gina J. Wouters first contacted Oudolf in 2023. He made his first visit to the estate that October. Site work began in fall 2025, beds and paths went in early this spring, and planting started in June 2026.

What opens on the 17th is one acre built around the historic Rose Arbor. The Foundation's plan for the project calls for restoring the arbor and installing 31 new custom-designed arbors. The planting includes more than 25,000 plants and grasses from more than 100 species. Its base is a meadow of prairie dropseed, worked through with threadleaf bluestar, pale purple coneflower, purple lovegrass, yarrow, calamint and ornamental onion. The design is meant to change through all four seasons. Mid-October is the first season anyone outside the project gets to see.

People beyond the North Shore are paying attention too. The Architect's Newspaper put the garden in its fall 2026 roundup of building and design openings. Planting Fields says it was one of just 20 projects worldwide on that list.

One detail matters for opening morning. The 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. "Oudolf Garden Unveiling & Catalyst 2026 Opening" is a free, invitation-only event for donors and volunteers, and guests had to register by Oct. 9. That ceremony is separate from regular visits. The park's posted hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Weekend parking costs $8 per car at self-serve stations through Nov. 16, and that includes opening weekend.

Planting Fields also opens a second new work that day. Fiona Tan's "Fragment of the Foundations for a Babel Tower" goes up on the East Lawn and stays on view through fall 2027.

The Festival, at 43, With a New Name on the Banner

Downtown, the scale is very different. Long Island Business News reports that as many as 200,000 people are expected over the two days. The Herald says more than 70,000 oysters are expected to sell, all from Long Island waters. They'll be served raw on the half shell, grilled, fried, Rockefeller style, and in chowder and po'boys. Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino put the sourcing plainly in the town's announcement:

"We're also putting the local oyster back in Oyster Fest, with oysters being served coming from Long Island growers and harvesters."

The biggest change you'll see from last year is the presenting sponsor. Property Tax Reduction Consultants presents the 2026 festival. In 2025, Catholic Health held that spot. Catholic Health is still on the 2026 sponsor list, along with Optimum, Legame Permanent Jewelry and Nassau Financial Federal Credit Union. The Town of Oyster Bay and the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Chamber of Commerce run the festival together. The town says it raises money for local groups including the Boys & Girls Club, Life Enrichment Center, Friends of the Bay and Youth and Family Counseling.

The rest of the program is familiar, with a few headliners:

• The oyster shucking and eating contests run Saturday on the Main Stage.
• The Oyster Bay Brewing Company Beer Garden overlooks the harbor and is open to visitors 21 and older.
• On the Main Stage, Saturday's lineup runs from KAMELLOT to Crash My Party, and Sunday's from Ready in Ten to Radio Flashback, with Glass Houses in between. Local and regional acts play the Audrey Avenue stage both days.
• The Kings of the Coast Pirate Show returns to the waterfront, and Savannah Bananas players will sign autographs.
• West End Avenue hosts family activities, including a U.S. Army climbing wall and a New York Islanders slap shot attraction. The Newton Shows carnival handles rides.

How the Two Schedules Fit Together

The hours give the weekend its order. All times below come from the organizers' published schedules.

Sunday's sensory hour is easy to miss. Sensory Island sponsors it from 10 to 11 a.m., an hour before the festival officially opens, so children with sensory sensitivities can try the rides at their own pace. Festival admission is free both days.

Getting to the Harbor Once the Crowds Arrive

Organizers keep repeating one point: parking in the village is limited. Here is the published guidance:

1. Take the LIRR. The railroad is adding service for festival weekend.
2. Use the free shuttles. Buses run from Syosset station and James H. Vernon School, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. both days.
3. Know the lots. The organizer's transportation page points drivers to Syosset station by way of Oyster Bay Road, also called Jackson Avenue, and Underhill Boulevard. It places Vernon School on Route 106 in East Norwich. That same page lists a parking fee at Vernon School, but it dates from 2024 and 2026 coverage hasn't reconfirmed it. Check theoysterfest.org before you go.

The town's March announcement said festival details would be updated as they became available, so check oysterbaytown.com for road closures and access information before driving into the village.

Other residents may stay through Monday. The town runs a shell-recycling program at the festival, and you can volunteer through the Department of Environmental Resources at (516) 677-5752.

The Same Two Places Hold the Rest of the Fall

The rest of October follows the same split. Saturday, Oct. 10 previews it, with events at the harbor during the day and at Planting Fields at night. From 9 a.m. to noon, the town and Friends of the Bay are hosting a rain-garden work party at the Western Waterfront, 1 West End Ave., with the Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation District. Also on Oct. 10, Raynham Hall and The WaterFront Center offer "Pirates and Patriots," a cruise on Oyster Bay Harbor aboard the CHRISTEEN followed by refreshments at the museum. Tickets are $80 for adults and $60 for anyone under 21. That evening, Planting Fields holds "Notes in Nature: Serenade & Celebration" in the Main House from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The week after the festival, Planting Fields stays busy. Its 6th annual Fall 5K Run-Walk is Saturday, Oct. 24, with a kids' fun run, costumes encouraged, a DJ, food trucks and house tours for registered runners. Trick or Treat tours of the Main House run on selected dates from Oct. 23 to 31, 1 to 4 p.m. Back in the hamlet, Raynham Hall's "Revolutionary Oyster Bay: 275 Years at Raynham Hall Museum" opened Sept. 24 and runs through March 28, 2027.

Downtown has some news of its own this year. The Bay Butcher opened at 96 South St. in May. Patch describes it as a family-owned shop selling premium cuts. On Audrey Avenue, Stellina Hospitality's HOSHI is still listed as "opening soon" at No. 34. The operator describes it as a 10-seat sushi counter with a small dining room and says there are no hours or reservations yet.

For anyone thinking about how Oyster Bay's new attractions affect their home, Lauryn Koke follows these local changes closely as part of her work with Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty. If you'd like to know where your property stands this fall, request a complimentary, confidential home valuation.