Loch Ryan Cottages

The Stranraer Oyster festival was the biggest and best ever in 2023 and was a huge success.  Held in mid September people came from far and wide.

An estimated 21,000 visitors came for the three day festival, which promoted the natural produce of the area and in particular our own unique Loch Ryan native oysters. This makes it one of Scotland's biggest food festivals.

This major event, was designed to appeal to all ages, and was devised to celebrate Scotland’s only native oyster bed in Loch Ryan. While our delicious, wild oysters are carefully harvested by our Loch Ryan Fisheries Co. Ltd. then sent from our shores to be enjoyed in many parts the world, until now the Stranraer connection has not been widely recognised.  This has now changed and Oyster Festival that brought recognition to our oysters and to the town and the surrounding area.

Stranraer Oyster Festival 2023 featured not only oysters but also all sorts of seafood – all caught locally. A fantastic programme of excellent cookery classes and demos, staged by Celebrities, Felicity Cloake Michael Caines, Julie Lin and Tony Singh  also contributed to the event’s success.  Food wasn’t just for cooking! Visitors were able to taste and to buy a wide range of delicious locally produced food and award-winning drink. Hand made arts and crafts also featured with many of our local traders setting up stalls, there was live music, extreme pond dipping, children's entertainment and a spectacular firework display. Many volunteers also contributed hugely to the event’s success.

The chairman of Stranraer Development Trust (SDT) added: "In a very short period of time Stranraer Oyster Festival has become a hugely important part of Stranraer's identity, and a real focal point for celebrating the very best that Stranraer has to offer."

Early indications suggest the economic impact of the 2023 festival will be greater than the last festival in 2022 and will deliver a £2.3 million boost