Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park

It essentially takes over Oyster Bay.

It centers around Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park and Beach, as well as Audrey Avenue.

The scale is staggering.

It is.

Because that is where I get confused.

If the county or the town is hosting this massive event in a public space, and they aren't charging at the door, aren't they losing money? They have to pay for the police overtime, the sanitation crews, the, uh, emergency medical presence.

They are temporarily transforming Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park into a small functional city for 48 hours.

It definitely looks like a massive expense on the municipal ledger, but you have to calculate the economic multiplier effect.

There'll be oyster eating contests, live music, carnival rides, pirate shows, and nearly 90 artisan vendors.

Now, it's happening at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park from 11:00 to 6:00 on both days, and admission is completely free.

And that is what's happening.

Love it.

Right here in Nassau.

And finally, we arrive the weekend of October 17th and 18th, which brings us to an absolute cornerstone of the local calendar, the Oyster Fest in downtown Oyster Bay and the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park.

Oh, yeah.

The hours vary throughout the weekend, but the footprint of this event is massive.

It's the 43rd annual Oyster Fest, and it's returning Saturday and Sunday, October 17th and 18th.

Two days of seafood, live music, carnival rides, and waterfront festivities are in downtown Oyster Bay and Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park.

The festival, held in partnership with the Town of Oyster Bay and Oyster Bay East Norwich Chamber of Commerce, typically draws tens of thousands of visitors to the hamlet and has attracted crowds of up to 200,000 over the course of a weekend.

The year's lineup includes food and merchandise vendors, a seafood court, food trucks, amusement rides and the festival's traditional oyster eating and shucking contests.