Skip to content

COMING SOON: LONG BEACH RAZOR CLAM FESTIVAL, APRIL 29-30, 2017

Tastings, cook-offs, singing mermaids, digging & cleaning lessons, competitions, and more assure a fun-filled weekend on Washington’s Long Beach Peninsula

LONG BEACH, Wash. – March 2017 – The Razor Clam Festival returns to Long Beach for a lively weekend of food, foraging, fun competitions and entertainment. Activities will take place in downtown Long Beach, Washington, Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30, with digging along the entire 28-mile span of wide, sandy beach pending state approval.

“The Long Beach Razor Clam Festival is about much more than digging for clams,” said Russell Maize, event chair. “It’s about friends and families sharing and learning new things while enjoying a morning or two on a spectacularly beautiful Washington beach.”

Festival highlights include the ever-popular Clam Chowder Taste-Off (Saturday, 1-3PM, Long Beach Elks Club) with samples cooked up and served by local restaurant chefs to ticket holders, who vote for the prized “Best Chowder” award, and the Clam Fritter Cook-Off (Saturday, 3-5PM, Veterans Memorial Park), where Ilwaco High School Culinary Arts Program students vie for top recognition awarded by a panel of Tom Douglas restaurant chefs.

The Amateur Chowder Competition offers twelve home chefs the chance to compete for cash prizes and the highly sought out title “Best Homemade Clam Chowder” as judged by chefs from Tom Douglas restaurants. The competition takes place at the Long Beach Elks, on April 29, from 11AM to noon.

Other festival events include the following:

“The Clam Guy,” David Berger, author of the soon to be released Razor Clams: Buried Treasure of the Pacific Northwest(due out in July from University of Washington Press) will attend as an honorary guest.

Expanding options for things to see and do, the Saturday Market at the Port of Ilwaco will open for a season preview, April 29 from 10AM to 4PM. In Long Beach, the Giant Squirting Clam and World’s Largest Clam Pan provide the perfect souvenir-photo backdrop.

Headquarters for the event is the Long Beach Elks Lodge where free coffee, updates, festival keepsakes including sweatshirts, t-shirts, mugs, hats and more will be available both days.

Long Beach ranks among the best places to dig for razor clams with a vast digging area, easy beach access, the gentle slope of the shoreline and other favorable conditions.

For additional clamming information and regulations, please contact the Dennis Company at 360.642.3166 or visit WDFW at www.wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/.

For lodging (early reservations suggested) and destination information, visit www.visitlongbeachwa.com or call the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau at 360.642.2400.

Would you like updates from the Evergreen Coast?

Sign up for our monthly newsletter about upcoming events and fun things to do!

We never share your email with anyone, and you can opt out anytime by clicking “unsubscribe” at the bottom of any email.