The 2022 Knysna Oyster Festival began on 1 July and festival goers are in for a treat as the fun gears up another notch. “Luckily oysters are full of healthy fats and protein,” said Festival Manager Andrew Finn. “Because you’ll need the energy to enjoy everything that’s still to come.”

Miss Pearl 2022 can be spotted at some of the upcoming events. Saira Felix from Rheenendal, 22, was crowned at a glitzy event held on Friday. She’ll be handing over the prizes at two of the trail runs still to take place, the KnysnaX Trail Series Winter Run on Thursday and the Houtkapper Trail Run on Sunday.

The Oyster Shucking Competition is also back. This ever-popular knock out competition takes place on Thursday and Friday. It’s a great spectator sport where teams compete to see who can shuck – and eat – the most oysters in a specified time. To enjoy the festival’s featured creature in a variety of ways, get your tickets to the Taste of Knysna on Wednesday, and wash those bivalve molluscs down at the Knysna Wine Festival held on Friday and Saturday, or the Oysters & Bubbly Party, also on the Friday and the Saturday.

Talking about tasting things, there are still daily spice and tea tastings, wine and olive tastings and local beer and gin tastings. If you’re looking for a different type of party, why not get your Reggae vibes on at The Queen on Friday, or stomp to Mark Stent at the Castle Lite Beer Tent on Saturday? The Cotton Fields and Crimson House are also poised to entertain all at the after party on Saturday. Or you can discover the vibrant nightlife in the local bars and taverns with a qualified guide on a shebeen experience, any night of the week.

“And that’s still not all,” Finn said. “We’ve got two golfing games on Friday, the Oyster Better Ball Championship at the Knysna Golf Club and the Pitch & Putt Family Tournament at Blackwaters River Lodge.”

A bit more physical, the Safe Hub in White Location is hosting a boxing tournament on Saturday, and there are netball and soccer tournaments in Hornlee and Rheenendal on Friday and Saturday, with more soccer at Loerie park on Sunday.

On top of that there’s still some social scrapbooking, the Thrift Fair Extravaganza, mother and child Pilates, pirate treasure hunts, chocolate making, the Riverwood Oyster Festival Kids Club, Play in Nature day passes and the kids’ carnival at the Knysna Elephant Park. And, of course, the Knysna Forest Marathon.

“We apologise for the gremlin that crept into our printed program,” said Finn. “We have notified all runners that the event finishes, but does not start, at the Knysna High School Fields. Taxis will pick runners up in Vigilance Drive to take them to the starting point in the Knysna Forest.”

The other stalwart of the festival, the Knysna Cycle Tour, took part over the first weekend of the festival, along with the popular Featherbed Trail Run. Entries to the Knysna Cycle Tour were at capacity, showing a great vote of confidence in the new race format and bringing a significant number of cyclists to the festival. The Featherbed Trail Run also enjoyed a resurgence in participants with 380 runners taking to the trails on Saturday.

“Remember to take part in the Oyster Hunt,” said Finn. “There are great prizes to be won while you explore Knysna and perform fun tasks. It’s a fantastic way to challenge friends and family members to make the most of your visit to the festival.”

Executive Mayor of Knysna Levael Davis said that the festival is a revival for Knysna. “This is a time for friends and family. We are excited to host the festival and, more than that, we are ecstatic to welcome back our visitors. The festival has a large following of regular visitors who have missed all of the fun events as much as we have. This year we are fortunate to celebrate the return of the festival with them, and can’t wait to enjoy the rest of the fun with them.”

Add www.knysnaoysterfestival.co.za to your browser’s bookmarks and visit it daily for the full programme and all the details.

Caption 1 Saira Felix (middle) is the new Miss Pearl 2022. Her 1st Princess is Nadene Adelle (left) and Dané Venter (right) her 2nd Princess.