Final preparations are being made for the Falmouth Oyster Festival, which takes place from Thursday 13th to Sunday 16th of October at The Waterfront, off Church Street. 

The festival brings together a blend of esteemed local chefs, hardworking oyster fishermen, food and drink enthusiasts, and an eclectic mix of musicians, all in celebration of the start of Falmouth's unique oyster fishery season. Each day offers a packed programme of culinary activities and Cornish seafood. 

Here's a quick rundown of what's on offer:

On Thursday, following a shanty performance from local children, Nick Hemming, award-winning chef, and owner at the Heron Inn Malpas will officially open the festival with a cookery demonstration. Then Culture Restaurant's Hylton Espey, originally from South Africa, brings a bit of nature-inspired cuisine to the afternoon. Late afternoon, Join Chris Sharpe, from Falmouth Marine Conservation Group to learn about their project to control the invasive non-native pacific oysters.

On Friday, if you are serious about cooking fish, don't miss Annie Seabourne's cookery master class.  "My underlying passion is to get people cooking more fish and using the best quality seafood in the world, which is on our doorstep," says Annie from My Fish Kitchen. "All of these fabulous chefs cook this amazing produce to inspire us all and not forgetting the use of our stunning native oyster, which they are using in such creative ways more and more each year".

On Saturday the festival welcomes Alfie Hazlitt from Indidog, one of Falmouth's most popular food destinations.  Expect a relaxed and flavoursome-filled demo.  In the afternoon, Darren Millgate, a keen supporter of sustainable fishing, will represent St Michael's Hotel and Spa.  Followed by a second chance to gain top seafood skills from Annie.

On Sunday, Steve Rudd, Programme Manager for professional cookery at Cornwall College, will be accompanying students as they perform the demonstration and private chef Tom Beanland will deliver the final demonstration of the festival.

To round off the festival Sunday sees the Oyster Working Boat Race take to the water.  With the oyster season running from October to March, the festival's race is the last before the hard graft begins – a great way to draw the annual celebrations to a close.

For the full line up click Here

If you're more about sampling food than cooking it, there is a host of food and drink stalls offering local delicacies and pride of place must go of course to Cornish seafood and in particular the humble oyster, the star of the show.  Not to be missed is the annual oyster shucking competition.  Competitors will have to prove their skill in shucking oysters by opening and displaying 12 native oysters as quickly as possible without compromising on quality.

In addition to the daily cookery demonstrations, local food, and craft stalls, sea shanties, live music, and annual oyster parade, there is a great evening entertainment line-up including funny man Johnny Cowling* with live music from Jailhouse, Falmouth Soul Sensations, and Latin funk powerhouse Malavita!* (*tickets £10)

For more information or to buy a ticket visit www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk, join them on Facebook 'Falmouth Oyster Festival', or follow them on Twitter @FalOysterFest.