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Oysters on display
The manager of Local Economic Development at the Knysna Municipality, Lungiswa Goya says the Oyster Festival is essential to boost the economy in Knysna during the slow winter months.
He says a vital part of the festival is giving back to the community with various charities in and around the town benefiting from proceeds.
“One of the key events that stood out for us was the forest marathon, which managed to draw about 7 000 athletes. Then we had some lifestyle events like the oyster shucking competition which was a great success. We also had our dessert fair which was also a great success as well as the army band that ended up joining the festival.”
VIDEO | Knysna Oyster Festival cooking and shucking competition
Organiser of the Knysna Cycle Tour, Andrew Finn says entries have increased substantially over the past few years with over 2 000 participants enjoying scenic routes for the past three days.
“The past couple years have been a real struggle, numbers went down because of COVID and recovery was very slow. This year we went up 30% from last year with over 2 000 entries from all over the country.”
The festival hub offered food stalls, shopping and entertainment for all ages. A local resident and one of this year’s Mr. Pearl winners, Hein Botha says it is an event he always looks forward to.
“The festival this year has been really wonderful and packed with diverse people. The bicycle competition was amazing; we went to check it out early in the morning and you can tell that a lot of effort went into it.”
