News
Get your shuckers ready for Sound Rivers’ 39th-annual FUNdraiser (emphasis on FUN) on Nov. 14!
Tickets go on sale at midnight on Sept. 18. All current Sound Rivers members will receive an email with a password and link to a password protected page on soundrivers.org to get first dibs on tickets. (They’ve sold out within days for the past three years running!) Make sure your membership is up to date so you don’t miss out!
GENERAL INFO
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 14, 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
WHERE: On the grounds of the Washington Civic Center, 108 Gladden St., Washington.
WHAT: The Oyster Roast is Sound Rivers’ biggest fundraiser, and biggest party in Washington, just steps from the Pamlico River. Featuring all-you-can-eat steamed oysters, chili and chowder; LOCAL craft beer from Two Rivers Alehouse, Tarboro Brewing Company and Mother Earth Brewing; live music; an auction AND a raffle, it’s a party for a great cause: Clean water!
TICKET PRICES:
General Admission Tickets for members: $90. (Sales start Sept. 18)
General Admission Tickets for non-members: $120. (Sales start Sept. 25, pending availability)
VIP Tickets: $150.
A VIP ticket includes a SWAG bag, early arrival at 5 p.m., wine (donated by Mary at Wine, Words & Gourmet), dedicated oyster shuckers at reserved tables and a raffle ticket for fun Sound Rivers’ stuff.
OYSTER ROAST 2026 AT A GLANCE
5 p.m. VIP section opens
6 p.m. Oyster Roast opens for all other ticket-holders
7 p.m. Live music starts inside the Civic Center
8:30 p.m. Auction closes
EVENT DETAILS
EVENT ENTRY
All Oyster Roast VIP guests, sponsors and General Admission guests will check in inside the Civic Center!
There will be a clearly marked entrance to the meeting room on the parking-lot side of the Civic Center; TWO lines will extend from this entrance, down the walkway toward West Second Street. One line is for VIP guests and sponsors; the other is for General Admission. There will be signs posted and a volunteer available to direct you to where you need to be!
VIP guests and major sponsors have access to the Oyster Roast at 5 p.m.; General Admission guests at 6 p.m. Entry is not allowed prior to the times designated for ticketholders.
Volunteers will be checking in guests at tables in the Civic Center and looking up ticketholders by the last name and first initial of the person who purchased the tickets (even if that person is not with your party). If someone bought tickets for you, or sold tickets to you, please be able to provide the last name and first initial of the person who originally purchased the tickets.
Ticketholders will check in and receive their wrist bands in the meeting room, then grab their complimentary beverage cup at a table in the gallery, just outside the meeting room door. Check in, take a stroll through the auction, then head outside to eat oysters under the stars!
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FOOD & BEVERAGES
Butter and Cocktail Sauce
Melted butter and cocktail sauce for oyster-dipping will be available outside, right next to the tables.
Chili and Chowder
Ground beef chili, vegetarian chili and seafood chowder, along with rice and condiments, will be available inside the Civic Center at the back of the ballroom.
Beverages
Sodas and water will be located in the Civic Center ballroom, near the kitchen area.
Beer will be located on the grounds, just outside the gallery entrance of the Civic Center (between the parking lot and the oyster tables). This year’s craft beer has been donated by Two Rivers Alehouse, Tarboro Brewing Company and Mother Earth Brewing! Make sure to thank them for their donations!
Wine: We do not sell wine at the Oyster Roast. However, you are welcome to bring your own. We highly recommend purchasing from Wine & Words … & Gourmet, located on West Main Street in Washington. Mary Mehlich, owner of Wine & Words, is an Oyster Roast sponsor!
ONLINE AUCTION & RAFFLE
This year’s auction is VIRTUAL (as we have held it for the past three years!). On Oyster Roast night, we will have auction items on display in the gallery of the Civic Center. Bidding opens Saturday, Oct. 31, and will continue until 8:30 p.m. on the night of the Oyster Roast, Nov. 14.
If you think you might bid on silent auction items, but first want to see them in person at the Oyster Roast, we recommend registering to bid before the day of the event.
At the Oyster Roast, each auction item will have a QR code that will link to that item on the auction website. All you have to do is open the camera on your smartphone, allow the camera to focus on the QR code, then touch the link that appears on the screen — that will take you right to the item on the auction website.
For the more tech-savvy, the auction site has a cool feature: you can bid, get notifications on whether you’ve been outbid, and more, through texts.
We do require everyone to purchase the items they’ve won by credit card through the auction website. Winners must show staff their receipt of purchase in order to receive their winning items.
FOR A SECOND YEAR: A SOUND RIVERS RAFFLE!
We’re excited to bring back the Sound Rivers raffle again! And it’s even better than last year’s! In addition to a single grand-prize winner who will get to choose their winning item from these THREE options (to be announced), we’ll have multiple drawings for LOTS of cool stuff! Check back in to find out what’s up for grabs at this year’s raffle!
Tickets are $10 each, or 5 for $40, and will be sold at a table in the Civic Center gallery (we’ll also be wandering throughout the event hawking them!). If you do not have cash, but would like to buy raffle tickets, visit the raffle table in the Civic Center gallery where you can scan a QR code and purchase tickets online. All you have to do is show the person manning the raffle table your raffle registration confirmation, and they will hand you your tickets! Items will be on display at the Civic Center the night of the Oyster Roast.
The raffle winner will be drawn at 8 p.m. in the Civic Center ballroom. YOU MUST BE PRESENT TO WIN!
The prizes will be posted here ASAP.
LIVE MUSIC
Bring your oyster shuckers and your dancing shoes, ‘cuz you’re going to need them both!
Back by popular demand, Saxy & The Thrill return for a second year!
Get ready to dance the night away with Saxy & The Thrill, 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.!
AND THE OYSTER ROAST PRE-PARTY, NOV. 13 IS BACK!
Sound Rivers is teaming up with Pitt Street Brewing on the Pamlico for an Oyster Roast pre-party on Friday, Nov. 13!
Sound Rivers has been selected to be a “Pitt Partner” for the night, which means 15% of all proceeds from sales between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. will be donated to Sound Rivers. Pitt Street Brewing on the Pamlico is located on the river directly across West Main Street from the Washington office (and where the Oyster Roast will be the following night), and is an ideal place to grab a brew, watch the sunset and meet your Riverkeepers!
After a day of Oyster Roast set-up, Sound Rivers staff will be heading over to Pitt Street at 5 p.m., so come on out and join us for a beer BEFORE the biggest party of the year!
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