Hampton Beach’s Celebration of Seafood

The ladies of Seashore Seafood present piles of mouth-watering lobsters along with colorful plates of seafood dishes at the 35th annual Hampton Beach Seafood Festival. Photography by Matt Parker Photos.

There’s little else that says “Summer in New England” than fresh seafood. It’s just not summer without lobster rolls dripping in warm butter, fresh oysters chilled with a splash of lemon and sweet, crunchy popcorn shrimp.

Seafood in all its forms is quintessential to coastal New England cuisine, and it sends hungry diners flocking to the coast year after year. Locals look forward to visiting their “if-you-know-you-know” spots, and tourists count down the days until they can dine at their favorite annual eateries.

One thing is for sure — New Englanders, both seasonal and year-rounders, love seafood. For the past 36 years, this beloved regional cuisine has been celebrated in style at the weekend-long Hampton Beach Seafood Festival.

“The Hampton Beach Seafood Festival was started by local business owners on the Hampton Beach Boulevard who saw that summer continues past Labor Day,” says Colleen Westcott, director of events and marketing at the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce. “We have these beautiful days in September, and (the business owners) got together and decided to highlight the seafood available here on the Seacoast.”

Executive Chef Dan Lane of The Tack Room of Lincoln, Mass., pours white wine into his speciality appetizer, Korean Glazed Shrimp & Alligator Chorizo, at the Wicked Bites food demonstration tent. Photography by Matt Parker Photos.

While the festival’s first few years were small and attendance was local, its popularity has boomed, and the festival has grown into a three-day event that sees anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000 visitors from all over the United States and Canada.

“It’s grown from being a Seacoast celebration to (being) the largest festival on the Seacoast,” says Westcott, who is on the festival’s planning committee.

With its long history, Westcott has noticed that the Seafood Festival has become a summertime family tradition that spans generations. The safe, family-friendly environment makes the festival perfect for all ages.

Westcott has spoken to attendees, who grew up going to the festival with their parents, who are now bringing their children.

“I love seeing the generations of people who have enjoyed the Seafood Festival,” says Westcott. “You have toes in the sand, and a lobster roll in your hand, listening to good music. I mean, when else do you have that?”

An enthusiastic server presents a steaming lobster roll from Rye Harbor. Photography by Matt Parker Photos.

The weekend-long festival has non-stop activity. Attendees can enjoy live music and entertainment on two prominent stages, a variety of food vendors to satisfy any taste (including those who might not like seafood), desserts, live cooking demonstrations with local chefs, a lobster roll eating contest, local artisan booths and more. Westcott means it when she says there’s something for everyone, especially foodies, to enjoy at the festival.

The two-day culinary tent Saturday and Sunday is one of the festival’s big draws. Hosted by Wicked Bites’ Scott Whitley, the culinary tent offers live cooking demonstrations from local chefs. Visitors at the culinary tent can learn new recipes, sample the presenting chef’s creations and ask questions.

“We always have great restaurants and put on a great show,” says Whitley. “We’ve been doing this for over a decade, and it’s grown every year.”

Starting at noon, Wicked Bites, and their phenomenal 125-person tent staff, have 10 to 12 chefs lined up to do a demonstration every 45 minutes. Each year brings new presenting chefs and new recipes. In past years, the recipes shared have varied, from Italian dishes to classic seafood, to comfort food and, one year, alligator.

Whitley promises an educational and entertaining experience for everyone who steps into the culinary tent.

The Band “Wildside” rocks the crowd in a bath of mint-blue mist on the Seashell Stage. Photography by Matt Parker Photos.

The festival’s main food tent is another fan favorite. There, you’ll find dishes from some of the Seacoast’s favorite restaurants.

“There’s a whole array of food,” says Westcott, who notes that this year’s festival attendees will be able to enjoy tastings from the Old Salt, the Purple Urchin, Deadproof Pizza, Brown’s Seafood Lobster Pound, Clyde’s Cupcakes, Lupe’s 55, Wing-Itz, Big Bad Barbecue, local Scout troops and more.

While celebrating the Seacoast, the festival also acts as a fundraiser to give back to the community, donating an average $25,000 to local nonprofits and community organizations.

“This event helps support our community and the nonprofits that carry our community year after year,” Westcott says. “After the event is done, we have the pleasure of presenting checks to local nonprofits and organizations.”

After a full year of preparation that begins the week after the previous year’s festival concludes — including building a mini city on Hampton Boulevard — Westcott gets to revel in her favorite moment.

“I love the feeling of it, when everything’s set and everything’s rolling,” Westcott says.

On opening day, she’ll walk the festival top to bottom several times, checking and ensuring that everything is running smoothly. It’s then that she gets to take it all in.

“I’m doing that walk and I see somebody having the best time,” Westcott says.

“I see kids having fun, enjoying the sand as their parents eat a lobster roll. I see the culinary tent packed, and people learning new things from a local chef. When I see people having fun, when I see them smiling, when I see somebody bite into a lobster tail on a stick, and the butter drips down their chin… it makes me so happy. It’s so summer, and so is the Seafood Festival.”

Visit seafoodfestivalnh.com for more information.