Pismo Beach Tutors

About Pismo Beach

Pismo Beach tutors eagerly anticipate October every year because it is when the annual “Pismo Beach Clam Festival” takes place. This tradition has been long running, going back to the days when Pismo Beach was fondly known as the “Clam Capital of the World.”

The festival lasts for three days and events include a hosted wine walk, live music from local bands, a beer garden, and incredibly popular competitions to find the best clam bake and clam chowder. 2017 will be the 71st annual event and the city expects to see more than 15,00 people attend the event over the three day period.

The irony over the clam festival is that today in Pismo Beach there really aren’t that many clams at all, especially in comparison to the 1950s. Once upon a time the clams covered almost every inch of the sand at Pismo Beach and they used to be harvested with ploughs such was their abundance. Sadly through over harvesting and a growing population of hungry sea otters, the clams have all but disappeared from the beach. Although if you do find one it is legal to take it home for dinner. There is however still proof that Pismo Beach once was the world’s “Clam Capital;” on entering into the city (via Price Street, heading north off the 101) the cities welcome sign is designed to be a sign and statue which is the shape of a giant clam. Residents and visitors to Pismo Beach pass by this concrete clam daily heading in and out of the city to remind them of the cities heritage.

Much like the clams, say Pismo Beach tutors, another popular festival attraction that is no longer available to the tourists is the pancake race, which involved running and flipping pancakes on the sand. In fact previous festivals would include many activities literally on the sand for guests to take part in but those too have ceased. According to Pismo Beach tutors the entire beach would be swept over with a bulldozer to create peaks and troughs and then many motorsport activities would take place including motorcycle races, soapbox derbies and dune buggy races. However as the festival grew in popularity it was feared that the large crowds could unintentionally block the emergency services should they be called down to the beach. It is possible to drive a dune buggy on the beach in Pismo and is a popular tourist attraction. (There is beach access to the sand directly from the road in nearby Grover Beach and Oceano.) A popular event that continues to occur is the competition for the “Clam Queen”, and the “Clam Dig” that sends foragers out onto the sand to find the ever elusive clams, that have been buried in advance of the competition.