It’s no secret that the East End is home to some of the freshest, most delectable seafood.
On Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8, from 12 to 5 p.m., Hamptons eateries will highlight bounty from the sea during the 7th annual Montauk Seafood Festival, presented by Montauk Friends of Erin and Kiwanis Club of East Hampton.
“There’s going to be lobster rolls, oyster dishes, clams on a half shell, a couple of different mussel dishes, fish tacos, steak and lobster sliders, sushi, clam chowder, and more,” Ken Giustino of the Montauk Seafood Festival shared. “Friends of Erin will have hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, corn on the cob, so there’s other food there, too.”
Held at Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina, the 2019 iteration will feature bites from Sel Rose Montauk, Muse @ The End, West Lake Fish House, TAUK @ Trails End, MTK Lobster House, M&R Deli Burrito Grill, Shagwong, Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina, Wave Crave, and more. Sips will be provided by Montauk Brewing Co., Copa Wines, Manhattan Beer, White Claw Hard Seltzer, Lipton Iced Tea, Pepsi, and more. As for sweets, John’s Drive-In will be offering up its delicious ice cream and there will also be funnel cakes.
In addition to the spectacular seafood sampling, there will be live music from The 3B’s and After Memphis. Little ones will keep entertained with goldfish racing, henna art, drip painting, tattoos, the ocean petting zoo, and more. “They have a large shark from the aquarium on the back of a truck – so like a monkey bars kind of thing for the kids,” Giustino explained. “There’s face painting and a bunch of things for the kids to do.”
If you plan on making it a leisurely affair, take advantage of a new feature this year. “The Viking Fleet will have their Viking Classic boat shuttle from the Viking office across the harbor to the Club and you can park in the Viking parking lot, they will give you a free pass for the day,” Giustino revealed. “It’s a really cool boat.”
The complimentary scenic journey will take about five minutes. “They’ll take you over and at the end of the day, they’ll take you back and you’ll have a little boat ride,” Giustino said. “It’s really cool.”
For those already in the Village, take advantage of the also complimentary Hampton Hopper shuttle. “Parking is going to be all over the Harbor area and we have the Hampton Hopper bus picking people up, they’re going to circle the Harbor, go into town and pick people up in the Kirk Park parking lot and in front of the Chamber building, and they’ll stop by the trains when they come in to the train station. There will be two buses just continually looping around. So, people can park almost anywhere in Montauk and get there.”
Admission to the Montauk Seafood Festival is $2 and free for children under 12-years-old. Proceeds from the Festival will support Toys for Tots, Pediatric Trauma, Montauk’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, scholarships, and more.
“We’re putting up a very large tent, so it’s rain or shine,” Giustino added. “There’s another tent for the bands. We have live music both days.”
Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina is located at 32 Star Island Road in Montauk. For more information, visit www.montaukseafoodfestival.com.