CHARLOTTETOWN, July 15, 2015 /CNW/ - "We've made lots of major new additions this year", says Liam Dolan, Festival Chair. "Shellfish lovers are definitely in for the biggest party yet. We promise to feed, entertain and educate shellfish lovers from the time the tent opens on Thursday until closing on Sunday.
The festival gets underway on Thursday, September 17th with Feast and Frolic presented by the PEI Fisherman's Association and hosted by Food Network Canada's Chef Lynn Crawford and Island Comedian, Patrick Ledwell. Dig in to Prince Edward Island's largest "all-you-can-eat" oyster bar.
Be sure to leave room for Kyle Panton's International award-winning seafood chowder, a traditional shellfish feast served family-style loaded with bounties of PEI mussels, clams, snow crab, potatoes and all the fixins, plus sweet Island-inspired desserts. Tickets are now on sale for $153 per person plus taxes. This event has sold out for the past 4 years so don't hold back get your claws on tickets quickly.
"Our Government is pleased to support the PEI International Shellfish Festival, showcasing the Island's wonderful hospitality and agri-food and seafood industries and supporting its reputation as one of the best food destinations in the world," said the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (ACOA).
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island will come alive over the course of 4 days to celebrate the world famous Prince Edward Island shellfish. The Festival will celebrate all things culinary during the day with cooking demos and cookbook signings by Food Network Canada Chefs Lynn Crawford on Friday and Sunday and Chef Ricardo on Saturday. At night the tent transforms into Atlantic Canada's largest and most lively kitchen party. The 20th Anniversary will not disappoint; shellfish fans are in for the biggest party yet!
The tent will heat up quickly with $10,000 up for grabs as part of the Garland Canada International Chef Challenge. Think Chopped Canada meets real life. Twelve top chefs from across the globe have been invited to compete head-to-head in this intense elimination cooking competition, where they will each be given 45 minutes to prepare, in front of a live audience and panel of celebrity judges, a shellfish dish with Prince Edward Island Shellfish as the main ingredient.
This fierce competition is one of the country's largest culinary challenges, and there's only one way to watch this all-out race against the clock. New for 2015, Access Passes will provide spectators with the opportunity to guarantee a seat to be front row and center for every nail-biting second of the Garland Canada International Chef Challenge. For a full list competing chefs visit www.peishellfish.com.
Be sure to come to the tent to cheer on the fastest and most skilled oyster shuckers in the world (who are shucking our world famous PEI oysters, of course!), as they race against each other and the clock. The PEI championship is on Friday and the International Championship takes place Saturday. This race is always a crowd favorite. There will be over $26,000 in cash prizes awarded during live compeitions at the Festival.
Jimmy Rankin will headline the festival on Friday, September 18th and Signal Hill will hold its traditional spot as the Saturday night final act. The grand finale will be the 20th Anniversary Birthday Bash on Sunday afternoon featuring George Canyon.
"There is no place like Prince Edward Island for seafood. Because of the cold, clean water, we have the ideal environment for our fishers to harvest the highest quality seafood in the world and our aquaculture companies to produce product that is second to none," said Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Alan McIsaac. "The International Shellfish Festival has become a signature event to showcase and promote our unique Island food brand and I hope that everyone gets out to enjoy this year's great line up of events."
Advance Tickets are $153 for Feast and Frolic; $27.50 for Weekend Passes; $13.25 for Festival Day Passes. All tickets are subject to taxes and services fees. Get your tickets in advance as prices increase for on-site sales.
For more information and full schedule of events call 1-866-955-2003 or www.peishellfish.com.
SOURCE PEI International Shellfish Festival
Image with caption: "Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival - Logo (CNW Group/PEI International Shellfish Festival)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150715_C4585_PHOTO_EN_446456.jpg
Media Contact: Jennifer Caseley, Marketing & Sponsorship Manager, Versatile Management Group, (902) 370-3397, [email protected]
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