Shell-abrate good times in June at the BITE Brighton Oyster Festival
- Nick Mosley
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
[This editorial first appeared in The Argus on 22 May 2026]
As the saying goes ‘the world is your oyster’. That may be the case – and who’d want to be shell-fish – but next month all eyes will be on Brighton and Hove, writes Steve Holloway.
With so much fantastic seafood to be had along the Sussex coast it’s perhaps puzzling that there hasn't been a festival specifically championing the bounty of sea.
As a relatively small island, we have some of the richest temperate fishing waters in the world with an impressive range of tidal marine ecosystems – including the Sussex kelp forest – and a history of in-shore fishing practices that are increasingly sustainable and have withstood the test of time.
2026 sees the inaugural Brighton Oyster Festival presented by BITE Sussex, a contemporary re-imagination of the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival organisation.
Throughout the year, BITE Sussex co-ordinates a programme of consumer and business events and activations to put the region on the global food and drink map including Brighton Cocktail Week, numerous charity events and – perhaps, slightly bonkers – off-the-wall one-offs such as the Dogs Dinner Competition – challenging local chefs to create doggy dishes that are judged by a panel of canine critics – that this year will be hosted at Brighton Beach House in June.
“The BITE Brighton Oyster Festival is a new initiative for 2026”, said BITE co-director Nathalie Gomez de Vera. “We were enjoying a lunch with our friends at English’s restaurant last autumn when the idea started to formulate. Nine months later, the inaugural edition of the oyster festival launches on Friday 19 June at many of the city’s premium hospitality venues alongside one-off charity events at leading attractions through to Sunday 28 June”.
Oyster festival partner venues will be offering a £15 walk-in deal that includes an oyster snack – whether freshly shucked or cooked as tempura, Rockefeller or Florentine – accompanied by a choice of either a glass of sparkling wine, cocktail or Fever-Tree based mocktail. Consumers thus have the opportunity to curate their own trail across the city from Cecconi’s on Madeira Drive in the east to Stem on Church Road in the west.
In addition, there’s a programme of totally unique ticketed evening charity events including ‘Cocktails and Canapés Under The Sea’ at SEA LIFE Brighton aquarium with six chefs, six bar mixologists and six local drink producers working in collaboration on Thursday 25 June with all proceeds to the independent SEA LIFE Trust charity. During the festival week you can also explore the Aladdin’s cave of the Brighton Toy and Model Museum with ‘A Sparkling Sussex Soirée’ of local wine and canapés on Saturday 27 June, alongside wine dinners and menus at Burger and Lobster and Lost in the Lanes.
Nobody knows more about tasty bivalves than oyster sommelier Jonathan Speirs at English’s of Brighton. The world-renowned venue in East Street has been serving oysters since 1850 – although spritely Jonathan is keen to share that he hasn’t personally been there since day one.
“At English’s, we like to promote the British Isles as our waters are cool and tidal”, said Jonathan. “We have a good knowledge of the different ‘merroirs’ and terrain which produce subtly different flavours and we know the producers and their routines and practices”.
“We look for an oyster that is tightly clamped shut. When opening we want resistance from the shell and once opened it should produce wetness”.
“For me, the beauty of a very fresh oyster is to enjoy just that. But we’re conscious that diners increasingly look for cooked options and with various accompaniments such as pickled ginger and wasabi or classic mignonette style with finely chopped shallot and red wine vinegar”.
“I recommend our guests to enjoy oysters their way. But for me, the combination of a dry sparkling wine – and we have plenty to choose from vineyards here on our doorstep in Sussex – and zingingly fresh oysters induces a feeling of luxury and opulence”.
The festival closes with the city’s first professional oyster shucking competition that will be hosted outside of English’s on East Street on the afternoon of Sunday 28 June. Chefs from across Brighton and Hove are invited to participate with the best shucker being crowned Oyster Queen or King of the Year.
“Burger and Lobster are proud to be at the heart of the Brighton Oyster Festival”, said Mitch Brummitt, general manager of the popular dining destination in Market Street. “Our participation aligns perfectly with our offering as a seafood-led restaurant, engages our guests and also allows our team to connect with colleagues in hospitality and tourism across the city in a fun way, whilst also supporting local charities including Martlet’s hospice”.
As much as the BITE Brighton Oyster Week will be serving up tasty treats, there’s also a bigger picture for Brighton and Hove’s visitor economy.
“Deliciousness aside, in challenging times, creative initiatives such as this are really important for the city”, said Julia Weeks, chair of the Brighton & Hove Tourism Alliance. “We need more innovative events to encourage overnight visitors who typically spend more, whilst also keeping our city’s residents engaged with the tourism and hospitality sector to create resilience in the shoulder periods”.
“It’s genuinely unique and collaborative events – such as the BITE Brighton Oyster Festival – that make our city and Sussex stand out from crowd as go-to destinations.”
The BITE Brighton Oyster Festival runs from Friday 19 to Sunday 28 June. For details of participating venues and charity events visit www.bitesussex.com.
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