Giant wave of events for 20th Oyster festival

The festival which runs until Sunday September 9 commenced on Thursday September 6 with the Diamond and Pearls Fashion Show in the Festival marquee supported by The Outlet, Banbridge.

The Festival marquee will be decked out in the style of the Titanic on Friday September 7 for the Titanic Gala Ball. Guests will enjoy a seven-course banquet with wine based upon meals that were served to passengers on board Titanic’s historic voyage.

The village of Hillsborough will come to life on Saturday September 8 with a gourmet food market and live cookery demonstrations from some of Northern Ireland’s leading chefs including Brian McKenna, Shu; Niall McKenna, James Street South; Danny Millar, The Parson’s Nose; Derek Patterson, The Plough and Andy Rea, Mourne Seafood Bar.

Also on Saturday, the warm up event to the World Oyster Eating Championship will see contenders consume 30 native oysters in the fastest time. The current record of 22.01 seconds is held by Soon Ok Potters from South Korea. Immediately after that, Co. Down man Colin Shirlow will defend his world record in the world Oyster Eating Championship. Colin is undefeated since 2003 and his record stands at 233 oysters in 3 minutes.

A live concert by Queen tribute act, Flash Harry, and a BBQ will bring the Festival’s events on Saturday to a close.

Sprucefield Park and Ride will once again be the location for Super Car Dream Rides on Sunday September 9 when members of the public have the opportunity to avail of a chauffeur driven ride in some of the world’s most exclusive sports cars including Ferrari, Aston Martin, Porsche and Lotus bringing the 2012 Festival to a close.

The Hillsborough International Oyster Festival 2012 is supporting local charity, The Jill Todd Trust. Jill Todd was a born and bred Hillsborough girl and she attended Hillsborough Primary School and later Wallace High School. Film and photography became her chosen career path leading to the study of those subjects at Edinburgh Napier University, graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in 2009.

A successful career in photography was cut short when Jill’s life was taken by cancer in October 2010, aged 23. In January 2011, Jill’s family established The Jill Todd Trust, a charity to promote photography, the careers of young photographers and to raise funds for the care of those who suffer from and research into the quest to a cure for cancer.

For further information and for the complete guide to the Hillsborough International Oyster Festival 2012, including online ticket purchase log on to www.hillsboroughoysterfestival.com