LONG BEACH — The first festival of the spring season drew thousands to downtown Long Beach last weekend, with a new restaurant earning the coveted title as chowder champions.

Approximately 2,500 attended the 85th edition of the 2025 Razor Clam & Shellfish Festival, organizers said, held Saturday, April 26 and Sunday, April 27, in Long Beach.

New chowder champs

The Clam Chowder Taste-off took center stage on Saturday, with several area restaurants competing, with a first-time champion taking home the wooden clam trophy.

After all the votes were counted, Seafood Fiesta was announced as the first-place winner. B&D’s Food Hut, the defending champions, finished in second place, followed by Castaway’s Seafood Grille in third.

In the amateur chowder cook-off competition on Sunday, Karen Champagne took first place and a $250 cash prize, followed by Pricilla Richards in second place and Amy Ullrich in third.

On both days, volunteers and members of the Peninsula Saddle Club served clam fritter samples from a replica of the ‘world’s biggest frying pan’ at Veteran’s Field amid vendors and live music.

Negative tides on Saturday (-0.6) and Sunday (-1.5) presented favorable digging conditions for recreational clammers on Saturday and Sunday, with the WDFW booth hosting a competition for the biggest and smallest clam. There were four entries for clams exceeding five inches with the biggest measuring 5.71 inches and the tiniest clam being less than an inch (.807 inches).

“It just gets better every year,” summarized festival co-organizer Dianna Knight.