We love a good festival where we can get outside, enjoy some amazing food, drinks, live music and have plenty of social mingling to do, and the Appomattox Oyster and Seafood Festival is one of our most favorite events of the year. Unfortunately, the 2020 Festival was canceled due to the Coronavirus and the imposed shutdowns and restrictions placed on public gatherings, but 2021 is a brand new year and the Festival is returning with gusto!

The Appomattox Oyster & Seafood Festival is an annual event sponsored by the Appomattox County Historical Society as a fundraiser to help the organization gather and preserve Appomattox County history. This includes such endeavors as discovering and collecting materials which help to establish or illustrate the history of the area, its exploration, settlement, development, and activities in peace and in war; its progress in population, wealth, education, arts, science, agriculture, manufacture, trade and transportation. The Society makes these discoveries available to the public through their Museum at the old Appomattox County Jail, their historical village recreation at Clover Hill Village and through their website, and monthly meetings.

Additionally, the Society promotes tourism, in and around Appomattox County, by holding events that are popular with citizens and tourists alike, either in conjunction with other organizations or separately. The Appomattox Oyster and Seafood Festival is one such event, which has seen increased popularity and attendance over the last few years, making it one of the premier annual events in Appomattox County.

The festival features vendors from local breweries, cideries, distilleries and wineries to help wash down all the oysters and seafood you can eat from various food vendors! Other vendors provide everything from baskets, jams and jellies, wood crafting, fragrances, clothing and accessories, exotic oils and so much more, as well as live music, games and activities for everyone.

This event has seen such growth over the years that the venue has had to be changed in order to accommodate the increase in attendees. Traditionally held at the Societies Clover Hill Village, the 2021 event has moved locations to the DeVault Family Vineyards, located at 247 Station Lane in Concord, VA 24538. Having outgrown Clover Hill Village, the new venue at DeVault Family Vineyards can accommodate more than 2,000 attendees.

Admission to the event is very reasonable, and has several options including Tasting Tickets ($15 in advance, $25 at the Gate, guests 21+ years) which allow for the free tasting of samples from attending wineries, breweries and cideries, as well as the purchasing of alcoholic beverages from these vendors; non-drinking tickets are $10 and are basically “General Admission” for those 13 years and older (no alcohol tasting or purchasing); Kids 12 and under are $5, and kids 6 & under are FREE.

Tickets, when available, will be sold through the Appomattox County Historical Society website, www.AppomattoxHistorical.org as well as local ticket outlets.

This event is a perfect solution to that “cabin fever” we have all experienced over the last year, and is one of the first Virginia events of the year! So, if you are in the Appomattox, Virginia area, or plan to be visiting in April, come join us, Saturday, April 17th, from 11 am to 6 pm at the DeVault Family Vineyards in Concord, VA for the 2021 Appomattox County Oyster and Seafood Festival!