Chowderfest Returns to LBI This Weekend

Get ready to employ your soup-slupring skills! It's time again for Chowderfest, Long Beach Island's autumn clam chowder showdown.

Now in its 23rd year, Chowderfest lets event attendees sample and vote for their favorite red and white chowders from restaurants all over Long Beach Island. The weekend-long party, which includes shopping and entertainment events, also serves as the unofficial close of LBI's extended summer season – a last-weekend-at-the-beach occasion for locals and visitors alike.

The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 2 at the Taylor Avenue ball field in Beach Haven, with VIP access starting at 10 a.m. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for kids; VIP tickets are $50. In addition to the chowder sampling, there will also be a food court and live entertainment.

After an unusually gloomy September, event organizers are thrilled that the weekend forecast calls for a cool, mostly sunny fall day.

"It's a great day to come out, listen to music, try some of the best chowder around, vote for your favorite and really enjoy being on Long Beach Island," said Lori Pepenella of the Southern Ocean County Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event.

And it's not just about the soup.

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Taylor Avenue field will host the annual Merchants' Mart, a free-admission fall sidewalk sale event where shoppers can score end-of-season buys. Attend and you may also catch sight of Southside Johnny, who will be promoting his show at Surflight Theatre, scheduled for the same evening.

Pepenella said Chowderfest's theme this year is inspired by a mashup of Halloween and the Twilight books and films, and has been dubbed "A New Spoon." (Click here if you don't get the joke.) Participating restaurants will compete for best-decorated booth in addition to seeking top accolades for chowder.

Want to do some sampling ahead of time to get in practice? Check out last year's winners. Stefano's Seafood and Pasta won for best Manhattan red, and its sister restaurant, Stefano's California Grill, took the New England white category.

The critic's choice award, voted on by local chefs, went to the Greenhouse Cafe for white and Stefano's Seafood and Pasta for red.