The first Tybee Seafood Fest begins Sunday, November 8. It runs for eight days. Island restaurants, shops and lodging run specials all week, Hotel Tybee hosts a fundraiser on Friday, and the full festival day at the Pier & Pavilion closes things out on Saturday the 14th. WTOC and the Savannah Chamber both call it the inaugural festival.
There's more going on than the festival. All four Saturdays in November 2026 already have something on them. Most of those events are hosted by island businesses or raise money for a cause, and the festival's week of specials works the same way.
A festival you can attend from your usual lunch spot
The Tybee Seafood Fest site calls the week "an island-wide celebration featuring special offers, discounts and experiences from businesses all across Tybee Island," from November 8 through 15. As of late October, the posted dining specials include:
- Sea Wolf: a lobster BLT on a local Sixby brioche bun, local Little Neck clams in garlic tarragon butter, and a dressed oyster with Jansz mignonette, yellow tomato basil relish and balsamic pearl caviar.
- Sundae Cafe: a three-course, seafood-inspired menu with two savory dishes and a signature dessert, with full details still to come.
- Arrie's Ice Cream & Loaded Teas: 10% off your order all week.
- Sunrise Breakfast: mention the Seafood Festival Special for 10% off.
The list isn't limited to restaurants. Mermaid Cottages, Cottage Collection, Hotel Tybee, Captain Derek's Dolphin Adventure Tour and Tybee Market IGA are also listed as participating businesses for the week. More businesses may be added, so check the specials page before you head out.
Tybee has done this kind of calendar move once already this year. Restaurant Week usually runs in February, but this year it moved to August 3–17, with eight restaurants taking part. WTOC reported the shift was an experiment to help business before the seasonal slowdown. Now November has a week of island-wide specials too.
Friday's oyster roast and Saturday's set times
The festival's two biggest events come at the end of the week.
Friday, November 13: The Oyster Roast & Lowcountry Boil runs 7 to 10 p.m. in Hotel Tybee's Grandview Ballroom. Tickets are $50, plus a $2.50 online service fee. That covers food and live music from Dr. J and The Boat Docs, and there's a cash bar. Proceeds go to HUGS, Heads-Up Guidance Services, a local nonprofit offering educational, developmental and therapeutic programs for children and families.
Saturday, November 14: The main festival runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Tybee Island Pier & Pavilion. Expect seafood vendors, local businesses, arts and crafts, a Kids' Zone and a shrimp peeling contest. Here's the main stage lineup:
- Craig Johansen & Amy Bess-Ochoa, noon to 1:30 p.m.
- Spec Hosti Band, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
- Shrimp Peeling Contest, 4 to 4:30 p.m.
- Patrick Ellington Trio, 5 to 6:30 p.m.
- Victory Drive, 7 to 9 p.m.
The shrimp peeling contest fills the gap between bands. Each contestant gets 20 shrimp and races to peel them fastest, and they're judged on how good the shrimp look, too. You don't need experience, but space is limited, so the festival asks people to sign up early. The schedule doesn't list Saturday admission, so check the festival's Saturday page before you go.
November 7: three events in one weekend
The festival week begins the morning after the busiest Saturday before it.
The Kite Festival for Parkinson's Disease is at North Beach. Registration runs 11 a.m. to noon, and the festival goes from noon to 3 p.m. Partners include North Beach Bar & Grill, The Irritable Pelican Gallery-Tybee and the Tybee Island Marine Science Center.
That same day, the Holiday Open House at the Shoppes at 1207 runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 1207 US Highway 80 East. Seaside Sisters, Kelly & Company, Gallery 80 and Tybee Art Gallery are taking part. Holiday shopping on the island starts three weeks before Thanksgiving this year.
That evening, the Tybee Post Music Fest wraps up at the Tybee Post Theater, 10 Van Horne Ave. Funk You plays Friday, November 6, at 8 p.m., the day after this post comes out, and the event page calls the two nights a fundraiser. The Tams play Saturday, November 7, at 8 p.m.
You can do all three in one day: kites at North Beach around noon, the shops on Highway 80 that afternoon, and The Tams at night. Three different groups host them: a charity kite event, a group of shops and a theater fundraiser.
November 21: two north-end events on the same day
The third Saturday has the biggest overlap, and both events fit on one north-end route.
The Tybee Island Historic Preservation Commission's Tour of Homes runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There's no set starting point. Two air-conditioned trolleys run hop-on, hop-off service between the stops all day, or you can bike or drive. The City of Tybee's calendar lists ten locations:
- 15 N. Campbell Avenue
- 34 Van Horn Avenue, open 10 a.m. to noon only
- 8 Logan Street
- 5 Pearwood Avenue
- 14 8th Place
- 1208 2nd Avenue
- Tybee Post Theater
- The Barracks
- 31 Officers Row
- Tybee Island Lighthouse, 31 Meddin Drive
The Van Horn house closes at noon, so start there. All proceeds go toward restoring the former Fort Screven Fire Station, which is now the Tybee Arts Center. The city says tickets are limited.
Tybee Tour de Art is the same day. More than 50 local artists set up at north-end shops, bars and restaurants. The locations are the Shops at Tybee Oaks, including Hucapoos, Tybean, Inferno and Casey Jones Photography; the Empty Lot and the Shoppes at 1207; Zunzibar; Chamacos; and Seawolf with Irritable Pelican Gallery.
Several stops show up on more than one list this month. The Shoppes at 1207 hosts the November 7 open house and is a Tour de Art stop on the 21st. Sea Wolf has festival specials during Seafood Fest week and artists on Tour de Art day. Irritable Pelican Gallery is a kite festival partner and also a Tour de Art stop. The Tybee Post Theater hosts the music fest and is a Tour of Homes stop.
November 28: the tree lighting
The last Saturday of the month is the simplest. Tybee's annual Tree Lighting Ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at the Strand Parking Lot on Tybrisa Street.
The month at a glance
Date | Event | Where | Supports |
|---|---|---|---|
Fri., Nov. 6 | Funk You, Tybee Post Music Fest, 8 p.m. | Tybee Post Theater | Theater fundraiser |
Sat., Nov. 7 | Kite Festival for Parkinson's Disease, noon–3 p.m. | North Beach | Parkinson's cause |
Sat., Nov. 7 | Holiday Open House, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | Shoppes at 1207 | Four island shops |
Sat., Nov. 7 | The Tams, 8 p.m. | Tybee Post Theater | Theater fundraiser |
Nov. 8–15 | Seafood Fest week specials | Island-wide | Participating businesses |
Fri., Nov. 13 | Oyster Roast & Lowcountry Boil, 7–10 p.m. | Hotel Tybee | HUGS |
Sat., Nov. 14 | Seafood Fest main day, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. | Pier & Pavilion | Vendors and local businesses |
Sat., Nov. 21 | Tour of Homes, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Ten stops, trolley service | Tybee Arts Center restoration |
Sat., Nov. 21 | Tour de Art | North-end shops and restaurants | 50+ local artists |
Sat., Nov. 28 | Tree Lighting, 6 p.m. | Strand lot, Tybrisa Street | Community event |
Times and lineups can change before the day, especially for a first-year festival. The Visit Tybee events listings and the city calendar are the places to check before you go.
The Tour of Homes is my pick for anyone who loves older island houses. Ten stops in one day, from Officers Row to the Lighthouse, is a lot of Tybee history up close. If you'd like to talk about historic island homes, or what Tybee's older houses are like to own, Lisa Ortiz is glad to chat over oysters or coffee any week this month. Let's Connect.
