The fourth-annual Austin Oyster Festival a celebration honoring the sea’s most delicious offering, is really coming out of its shell this year, serving up a bounty of delectable dishes, drinks and entertainment with a side of philanthropy toward H.O.P.E.

VIP Lounge: 4 special oyster tastings including ones by Chef Shane Stark of Mongers Market + Kitchen, Chef Chris Bauer of Eddie V’s 5th Street Edgewater Grill.

Raw Bar:

• Jeri’s Seafood Gulf Oysters and Premium East Coast Oysters served on the half shell with a choice of preserved lemon mignonette, caramelized shallot mignonette, roasted serrano or lime crème fraîche
• East Coast oyster shooters and a Deep Eddy Peach Vodka with glazed grilled and chilled Gulf shrimp served with a Cajun remoulade.

Grill Bar:

• Smoked bacon Oysters Rockefeller,
• Fresh grilled oysters with roasted garlic and anchovy butter
• Creole barbecue butter shrimp on grilled garlic bread
• Oyster and rock shrimp gumbo with Andouille sausage.

Fry Bar:

• Crispy oyster banh mi sandwich
• New Orleans-style oyster po’boys and shrimp po’boys
• Decadent Gruyere fritters.

The beverage menu includes Thirsty Planet beers,  local favorite Deep Eddy’s 10-times-distilled vodka, as well as Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka, Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka, and Deep Eddy Peach Vodka.

The Bloody Mary Bar includes all the extra fixin’s to make the perfect personalized cocktail.

The Premiere Events Stage presents a variety of live Americana, Cajun, bluegrass and “newgrass” music from local bands (Bottom Dollar String Band, Chansons Et Soulard, and the Bluegrass Show Men Extraordinaire).

There will be games including washers and last year’s favorite “redneck” golf in the game area. Prizes will be available also.

Sink Your Shucks will be around to recycle oyster shells and pick up more than 2,000 pounds of oyster shells. (www.OysterRecycling.org)

General admission is $50. VIP admission is $90.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AustinOysterFestival

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ATXOysterFest