The seaport of New Bedford has had a long history of using its working waterfront to highlight what fishermen harvest from the sea.

Whether it was the New Bedford Scallop Festival, the Working Waterfront Festival or the Seafood Soiree sponsored by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, the city has always showed great pride in its seafood.

The Blount Fine Foods New Bedford Seaport Chowderfest is really no different. The 18th annual Chowderfest will be held Saturday, Sept. 30 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Pier 3.

"This year we have 14 restaurants, Dorothy Cox Chocolates, and three alcohol vendors at Chowderfest," said Katie Greene, Vice President of Marketing and Events at One Southcoast Chamber.

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Greene joined Townsquare Sunday this week to give us a preview of Chowderfest. 

If you have never been to Chowderfest, you are really missing a great time. After purchasing a ticket, you can sample delicious chowders and other tasty delights from the participating restaurants. Then you get to vote for your favorites.

"You can vote on the best cla,m or seafood chowder, our best Portuguese specialty, and the best signature dish" Greene said.  

People's Choice Awards will be handed out in those three categories, along with awards from a team of celebrity judges. This year's judges are the Portuguese Kids comedy group.

While all of that sounds like fun, the restaurants are "all business" at Chowderfest.  They're pulling out all the stops, hoping to display the Best Chowder trophy in their establishments for the next 12 months.  

Live music will be provided by the band Played Out.

There's a VIP program as well, with guests seated on the Black Whale deck at 11 a.m.

You can learn more by visiting OneSouthCoast.org or the chamber's Facebook pageTickets for the New Bedford Chowderfest are $15 each on the One SouthCoast Chamber website or $20 at the gate on the day of the event.

Townsquare Sunday is a weekly community affairs program heard Sundays at 6 a.m. on WBSM.

The program spotlights individuals and organizations seeking to make the SouthCoast a better place to live and work.

If you would like your organization featured on Townsquare Sunday, please email the host at jim.phillips@townsquaremedia.com.

Scenes From the 17th Annual New Bedford Seaport Chowderfest

The 17th Annual New Bedford Seaport Chowderfest was held on City Pier 3 on Saturday, October 8, 2022. Take a look at some of the scenes from the day.

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