The New Orleans Oyster Festival is moving off the hot pavement of the Jax Brewery parking lot and into Woldenberg Park (at Conti Street) this year. The festival begins Saturday, June 2 at 1 p.m. and continues Sunday, June 3 from noon to 8:30 p.m.

The shucking contest at the 2011 New Orleans Oyster Festival. Photo by Kim Welsh.

The centerpiece of the fest is of course the food, with staples like raw oysters, charbroiled oyster, and fried oyster po-boys joining specialties like oysters bon femme, oyster patties, oyster boudin and more. No New Orleans festival is complete without music, of course, and this year’s Oyster Festival includes the Treme Brass Band, Kermit Ruffins, Wet Willie, Bonerama and Irma Thomas.

There will also be contests to showcase the best of the world of oysters. Acme Oyster House sponsors the Oyster Eating Contest, whose winner last year slurped up 39 dozen raw oysters, and P&J Oysters sponsors the shucking contest, which pits local restaurant shuckers in a test of their skills. In addition, the New Orleans Fish House sponsors a contest to see who can come up with the largest oyster, as judged by the oyster’s length, width and weight.

Here’s the full stage lineup for the 2012 New Orleans Oyster Festival:

Saturday, June 2

1:00 – 2:15 — Treme Brass Band

2:30 – 3:15 — P&J Oyster Shucking Contest

3:30 – 5:00 — Rockin’ Dopsie

5:30 – 7:00 — Benjy Davis Project

7:30 – 9:00 — Wet Willie

Sunday, June 3

12:30 – 1:30 — Zion Harmonizers

1:45 – 3:00 — Acme Oyster House Oyster Eating Contest

3:15 – 4:30 — Kermit Ruffins

5:00 – 6:15 — Bonerama

6:45 – 8:00 — Irma Thomas