Valentine Warner, food writer and star of BBC Two's "What To Eat Now" will be the open this year's festival with a demonstration of his culinary expertise and passion for cooking with local Cornish ingredients.

Falmouth Oyster Festival celebrates the start of the oyster dredging season one of the last remaining traditional oyster fisheries dredging only with the characteristic Falmouth Working Boats or oyster rowing punts. The Festival will embrace sustainability again this year, returning the empty oyster shells to the oyster beds around the River Fal to form the 'cultch' or base on which the young oysters will grow.

Cookery is an integral part of this year's festival, which is packed with demonstrations by leading local chefs and an atmosphere unique to the event. Visitors will enjoy highly prized local native oysters, shell fish, seafood and other mouth-watering food, as well as champagne and wines from Walter Hicks and Skinners ales, including - the specially brewed oyster ale.

There'll also be daily cookery demonstrations by top Falmouth chefs, fish filleting, oyster opening and simple fish cookery, as well as marquees brimming with Cornish food, produce and crafts. Evening entertainment includes shanty singing and live music, with evening entertainment until 11pm on Friday and Saturday.

Kids will love the shell painting and schools town parade, whilst grown up can sign up for a gourmet evening with Valentine Warner at St Michael's Hotel, a sea shanty lunch and the Oyster Ball on Friday October 22.