Chow Down On Chowder At Saturday's 3rd Annual Wharf Fest

Photos: Courtesy of Steven Restivo Productions

Wharf Fest returns from 11am–5pm this Saturday for the third year in a row at Fisherman's Wharf, featuring artists, artisans, music, and the popular chowder cook-off.

"It's the heart and soul of the festival," said Troy Campbell, executive director of the Fisherman's Wharf Community Benefit District. "What makes our festival unique is the chowder competition." It spotlights Wharf's iconic soup and lets visitors sample an array and cast a ballot for their favorite.

Eleven local restaurants will ladle out chowder from noon-3pm at booths in the parking lot near the iconic "crab wheel" sign at Jefferson and Taylor streets. Make sure to get tickets in advance; they usually sell out by Thursday, Campbell said. The cost is $15 in advance; $20 at the door (you can use the promo code "LocalChowder3" to get $3 off). It includes 15 chowder tickets so you can re-try your favorites.

Last year, the Blue Mermaid won both the judges' and people's choice contest; the first year, it also won people's choice (Fishermen's Grotto took top honors from the judges). So the heat is on for it to retain its crown.

The judges this year are:

Julie Christensen, San Francisco District 3 Supervisor
Dr. Leslie E. Wong, President, San Francisco State University
C.W. Nevius, Columnist, San Francisco Chronicle
Rachel Ward, Editor-In-Chief, Where Magazine
Stefanie Tuder, Senior Editor, Eater SF
John Cannizzaro, President, FWCBD Board Of Directors

Campbell noted that the sitting supervisor is always invited; David Chiu attended last year. He said the Wharf gets about 20,000–30,000 visitors a day, and Wharf Fest usually brings in an additional 3,000–5,000 just for the event.

Hard Rock Cafe will display and sell decorated guitars for charity, and new this year is a lineup of bands featuring the three best local bands from the Hard Rock Rising contest:

11:30am–12:30pm Super Mega Everything
1–2pm Antique Radio
2:30–3:30pm Mad Mama and the Bona Fide Few
4:15–5pm All bands jam together on stage

Wharf Fest began in 2013 when Fleet Week was canceled due to a federal government shutdown. "Once Fleet Week returned, we scaled back the festival and just kept the chowder fest because it was so well-received and it's something that's uniquely Fisherman's Wharf," Campbell said.