Fans of food, music come out of shell for Guinness Oyster Fest

A free concert, unlimited oysters and pints of Guinness will all be featured at the third annual New York City Oyster Festival, presented by Guinness.

The festival, which is hosted by and benefits Merchant House Museum, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 12 to 9 p.m. on East 4th Street between Lafayette Street and Bowery. The events will feature Blue Point Oysters, street theater, and musical performances throughout the day by top acts including Lunasa, The Eileen Ivers Band, Susan McKeown, Casey Neill, and The Paperboys. Admission is free and the festival is open to the public.

The Merchant’s House Museum is New York City’s only family home preserved intact — inside and out — from the 19th century. Built in 1832, it is the city’s prime example of a Greek Revival home and contains all the original possessions of the Merchant family that lived in the house for nearly 100 years. It is a National Historic and New York City landmark and has been open to the public as a museum since 1936.

All proceeds from the New York City Oyster Festival will support the museum’s public education programs, conservation of its collections, research, and restoration of its 1832 building.

This year, oyster festivals are being held in seven cities around the country, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco and Phoenix.