The forecast for Ocean Shores heading into this past weekend called for blustery weather. Mother Nature did not disappoint.

“We’re concerned just because the weather (was) going to be so terrible, it was scheduled a year out, you can’t schedule around good weather and shift things,” said Scott Andersen, Ocean Shores city administrator. “We do anticipate that numbers will be down slightly.”

The 2025 Razor Clam and Seafood Festival presented by Quinault Beach Resort and Casino at the Ocean Shores Convention Center saw one day of decent weather out of three, but windy, rainy conditions on the other two didn’t stop people from turning out for the event.

Ocean Shores Convention Center General Manager George Lee said that despite the weather, over 5,000 people attended the Festival.

“I think we had a great festival this year, we had some bad weather, we had some obstacles, but we had a great turnout,” said Lee. “I think it was almost comparable to last year with good weather.”

The Festival serves as the official kickoff of the spring and summer event season in a city that is dependent on tourism. No less than 17 fairs, festivals, tournaments, derbies and shows appear on the Tourism Ocean Shores calendar before the summer is out.

Vendors were sent scrambling Friday evening for a slightly early tear down and pack up, and Sunday as the outdoor vendor village was forced to close early.

“We’ve been very fortunate on this festival for March because we all know Mother Nature can deal us a bad hand, that’s for sure. This year it was a little bit of an obstacle, we had to make some adjustments, Friday we had some bad weather so we did lose some tents so we had to loan some out to some vendors to keep them going,” Lee said. “Saturday we had great weather and that’s when the place was just totally a zoo. Then Sunday we could see in the forecast that the weather was going to be so bad for the outdoor vendors that we gave them the opportunity to pull out that night so they wouldn’t lose their tents and their products.”

Around midday Sunday, the official Facebook page for the city of Ocean Shores posted, “The Ocean Shores Convention Center and Razor Clam Festival have closed the outdoor booths due to ongoing heavy rains and high winds.”

The Festival continued indoors with 60 vendors and accommodations for those who ordered crab meals, including whole Dungeness crab dinners and crab Benedict, before wrapping up at 3 p.m.

Throughout the weekend, vendors peddled everything from clothing to candy.

When the weather did allow for outdoor activities, festivalgoers enjoyed a variety of food options from Bennett’s Fish Shack, Egg Roll Hut, Alaskan Dumplings, The Grizzly Den, Boogie Beans coffee, Funnel of Love, Hansen Family mini donuts and more. Revelers also had the opportunity to take a ride down the giant European slide.

Bands SR 109, Raucous and Deerswerver performed live inside the Convention Center on Friday and Saturday, while KOSW Radio personalities entertained the crowd outside as best they could.

One of the highlights of the Festival was the chowder tasting contest with Bennett’s Fish Shack taking home the top prize. Newcomer The Garage placed second, while the Porthole Pub and Grill earned the People’s Choice award. North Beach High School’s North Beach Café, Emily’s at the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino, the Oyhut Bay Grill and Soup & Co. also competed.

Lee said sales for the chowder tasting competition were brisk.

“We actually sold out our chowder tasting passports over that 1,300 mark,” Lee said.

Ocean Shores Mayor Frank Elduen said that participating in the chowder competition is one of the benefits of being mayor.

“I think it’s a great event, it’s been well attended, I enjoy going, the clam chowder competition is a lot of fun,” said Mayor Elduen. “I am one of the judges, I get to eat plenty of chowder.”

Mayor Elduen added that picking this year’s winner was a “tough choice.”

Lee said that despite the weather, the success of this festival could be a harbinger of things to come for the 2025 festival season in Ocean Shores.

“I think we’re going to do great,” Lee said. “It gives us high hopes for Sand and Sawdust coming up, we’ve got a lot of interest already being shown on that and also the Hog Wild event we have.”

Next year’s Razor Clam and Seafood Festival will take place March 20-22 coinciding with the vernal equinox on Friday, March 20.

Youngsters go for a ride down the giant European slide.

Bennett’s Fish Shack won first place in the chowder tasting competition.