Wellfleet OysterFest

Every October, Wellfleet shuts down its quiet off-season and throws a party. Started in 2001, the two-day OysterFest takes over Main Street with local shellfish vendors, live music, arts vendors, culinary demonstrations, and an annual road race. The centerpiece is the Shuck-Off — billed as the biggest oyster shucking competition in America — where competitors battle for cash prizes and a spot on the Golden Oyster trophy. Tens of thousands of people show up. For a town of fewer than 4,000 year-round residents, that's not a festival. That's a reckoning.