Shuckers Choice: Why The MAQ Hotel is The Prime Spot for Tofino Oyster Festival
- Forest Eden Greenwell
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
The History of The MAQ & Tofino Oyster Festival
The MAQ is a hotel with one of the oldest and richest histories in Tofino - while we don’t have a lot of official documentation on it, we do know that when it opened in the 50’s (as the pub we still lovingly know as “The Dirty Maq”) it was for loggers and fisherman to come have a drink at the end of a long day together. The hotel itself came later, with some saying it had an “original owner” around 1956 (whatever that means). As of next year, that will be 70 years!
Although Tofino has a rich history that extends way beyond this timeline and is the home to many Indigenous communities, these industries are a huge part of how we know Tofino today and why we can access it as tourists, travellers, and seekers of touching earth. It’s beauty and preservation as we know it is due to those First Nations who still own and operate much of the land now, guiding us on practices and ways of existing with nature that honour the land and water.
As it is, one of the oldest celebrations we have in the community as we know it, is Oysterfest. The oyster farming industry dates back to the 1970’s in Tofino and the original Oyster festival was started in 1997 at the Clayoquot Oyster Festival and ran for over 20 years before it was reincarnated as the Tofino Oyster Festival.
These histories all intertwine with each other; the fishing industry at large, The MAQ, Oysters, celebrating community.
The MAQ was built and designed to be central to everything - accessible for the working class that were building Tofino as we know it today, and it is still representing those same core values. Connection, accessibility, and a place for the people. The Dirty MAQ continues its legacy as a pub and gathering place. The MAQ is still the most central lodging, the prices are fair, and it’s where we host the Shuckers for Tofino Oysterfest every year.
The Evolution of Tofino Oyster Festival
A few years ago Tofino Oyster Festival added a new day and event to their yearly celebration - The Shuckers Showdown. On Sunday, after we’ve all donned our finest and silliest attire, eaten as many oysters as possible, and voted for the best dressed people and shellfish, we join together for one last epic experience.
Shuckers from around the world compete against each other - the crowd watching and cheering them on. There is blood, sweat, tears, shell, and salt water. There is glory and let down. It may just be the most exciting event of the entire weekend and highlights the people essential to the oyster-eating experience - The Shuckers.
Why The MAQ Is The Prime Spot for Tofino Oyster Festival
True to history, The Shuckers are lodged down the street at The MAQ. The reason we get rowdy, the reason we gather together to enjoy this delicacy from the sea are gathered in this community-hub to revel in their wins, losses, and support for each other.
And of course, even truer to history, the after-party to this weekend-long festival is hosted at The Dirty MAQ.
We’re more than just a lodging, and we’re also more than just history. At The MAQ, we represent tradition. One that continues to grow and evolve, one that is an essential bridge to our community - from those that call this coastal rainforest home to the rest of the world (we have people from L.A. to Dublin who joined us this year). That is exactly what makes us unique.
While we offer beautiful rooms, great food, and opportunities to engage with other local incredible businesses and services - that’s just foundational to most Tofino lodgings. What makes us special; what makes us the shuckers choice, is connection.
We bring worlds together, we give people a place to unwind, and we make it easy - because that is what we were built to do.
