Join us for our upcoming AHA! Night event!
Enjoy summer in the seaport at FHC with the inaugural Scallopalooza, a scallop celebration and shucking contest, during the August AHA! Night on August 14th from 5:00pm until 8:00pm! Watch local fishermen compete for the title of New Bedford’s best shucker! The event will feature live music from local indie rock band Immuter, scallops cooked many ways by Phoenix on the Fly, frozen treats courtesy of Sorbae Frozen Treats mobile dessert trailer, an artist talk with Michael Medeiros inside the Center, a scallop dredge link squeezing demonstration (by Blue Fleet Welding), and fishing industry vendors on Bethel Street. Participating vendors include: Hand Over Fist, A Stitch of the Sea, Slave of the Sea, the School for Marine Science and Technology, Fisheries Survival Fund, Face Painting by Tara, Fishing Partnership Support Services, New Bedford Ocean Cluster, MassDOT, and Coonamessett Farm Foundation. Shucking contest begins at 6:30pm in the FHC parking lot.
Over the years, the scallop shucking contest has been a landmark waterfront event in New Bedford from the Scallop Festival of the 1950s to the Working Waterfront Festival of the 2000s. This event coincides with the Center’s new exhibit Ceremonies & Celebrations, which explores the history of the Scallop Festival, Working Waterfront Festival, Blessing of the Fleet, and Fishermen’s Memorial Service.
Scallopalooza 2025 Schedule at a Glance:
1:00pm – Bethel street closes to vehicle traffic
5:00pm – Event opens
5:00pm – 5:45pm – Live music by Immuter (in FHC parking lot)
5:30pm – 6:15pm – artist talk by Michael Medeiros (inside FHC)
6:00pm – 6:30pm – Link Squeezing demonstration (in FHC parking lot)
6:30pm – Scallop Shucking Competition (in FHC parking lot)
8:00pm – Event ends
Are you the best scallop shucker in New Bedford? Register to participate here: https://lnkd.in/e5efwXwk
Are you interested in sponsoring the shucking contest? Click here to fill out an online event sponsorship form: https://fishingheritagecenter.org/scallopalooza-sponsorship/
Admission to the Center is always free for AHA! Night. Learn about other great events happening that evening in downtown New Bedford by visiting AHA! NB’s website
Scallopalooza 2025 is sponsored by the Sustainable Scalloping Fund. Additional operations support provided by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Sponsoring Vessels: F/V Amber Nicole, F/V Ambition, F/V Andrea A, F/V Ann M, F/V Araho, F/V Arcturus, F/V Celtic, F/V Challenge, F/V Collin & Warren III, F/V Cynbel, F/V Decisive, F/V Determination, F/V Expectation, F/V Fjord, F/V Friendship, F/V Frontier, F/V Galway, F/V Generation, F/V Harvester, F/V Heritage, F/V Horizon, F/V Incentive, F/V Jack M, F/V John & Nicholas, F/V Karen Nicole, F/V Kathryn Marie, F/V Kineo, F/V Leader, F/V Lily M, F/V Maelstrom, F/V Mariner, F/V Master James, F/V McKensie Lee, F/V Monomoy, F/V Nadia Lee, F/V Nashira, F/V Neskone, F/V Nissa Kay, F/V Nordic Pride, F/V Norseman, F/V Ocean Blue, F/V Ocean Boy, F/V Ocean Pride, F/V Ocean Prowler, F/V Ocean Queen, F/V Ocean Wave, F/V Oceanic, F/V Orion, F/V Pamela Ann, F/V Patience, F/V Perception, F/V Polaris, F/V Princess Scarlett, F/V Seel Jr, F/V Pyxis, F/V Ranger, F/V Reliance, F/V Resilience, F/V Resolution, F/V Rost, F/V Seafarer, F/V Sharon K, F/V Socatean, F/V Stacy Lee, F/V Torbay, F/V Tradition, F/V Weatherly, F/V William Lee, F/V Wisdom
Sponsoring Fishing Businesses: Shamrock Fisheries, LLC, Quinn Fisheries, Inc., Edie & Marie Boat Settlements, Majestic Fishing, LLC, Atlantic Shellfish, Inc., Kathryn Marie Scalloping Co., LLC, O’Hara Corporation, Nordic Fisheries, Inc., Star LLC, Kenpac Fishing Corporation, McKensie Lee – L H LLC, H & H Fishing LLC, and M&B Sea Products, Inc.
