For ten days every July – South Africa’s winter – Knysna is home to the Knysna Oyster Festival. If you’re planning on visiting this year, here’s everything you need to know so you’re ready for one of the best oyster festivals in the world.

It’s a celebration of food, drink, comedy, fitness and the local community. I went along for two nights this year to the ‘Pick and Pay Flavours of Knysna’ night, for all the food, and then the ‘Comedy Chuckle’, for a good laugh.

Flavours of Knysna

Oysters galore!

Kinda makes sense at an oyster festival though.

It was R180, so around £10 – amazing value – and we were given these little books holding golden tokens for each of the stands to try the local restaurants’ oyster offerings.

There were nine different oyster stands to try – some with totally bizarre toppings. As you’ll see in the video below some had so much topping you couldn’t even get to the oyster to swallow it. Tasty though, we got through it it was fine.

And then I had another one that was served in dry ice with Champagne. Watch the vid, you’ll see.

Check out my video of the Knysna Oyster Festival!

Flavours of Knysna

The Flavours of Knysna night at the Oyster Festival was definitely a good way to see just what can be done with an oyster and a bit of imagination, although what you can do, and what you should do, are always two very different things.

The most bizarre, was the one from Blu Restaurant which featured a chocolate base and a strawberry, onion chutney and bacon topping, then there was an oyster and then a shot of sparkling wine to top it off.

I think I enjoyed it?

At the end of the night everyone voted for their favourite oyster, and the most decorative stand, and Blu won the latter. Go them.

Some of the event was sponsored by Heinz, so they were giving out a three course meal – you see above. There was a fish soup starter (deliciously warming on the cold night), fish tacos for a main and then a chocolate mousse with meringue and nuts and berries for dessert – great for anyone who wasn’t keen on the oysters.

Basically, we feasted our way around the festival, and then hit the wine stands.