Nearly 20 restaurants will be showing off the versatility of our region’s favorite bivalve at the New Orleans Oyster Festival. Launched in 2010 by representatives of the Louisiana oyster community, the festival celebrates local oysters along with the men and women who harvest, process and cook them. Proceeds from the Festival support the Louisiana oyster community, fisherman and their families, and security for the 8th District Police Department. Over the past two years, the festival has raised over $30,000 to support coastal restoration and the French Quarter. The Festival will once again feature oyster competitions including the Acme Oyster Eating Contest, the P&J Oyster Shucking Competition and the New Orleans Fish House Largest Oyster Contest. For more information, visit www.neworleansoysterfestival.org, call the festival hotline at (504) 835-6410 or visit on Facebook (The-New-Orleans-Oyster-Festival) and Twitter (@nola_oyster).