The success of the 37th Clam Festival continues, which filled Campelo with visitors and sold out all available rations. Ángel Moldes emphasizes that “Poio has two fundamental pillars: the sea and tourism. We are strongly committed to joining forces between administrations, the hospitality sector and sea professionals to promote a product as our own as the clam.
The Poio City Council presented this Monday a new edition of the Clam Gastronomic Conference, which will take place every weekend of October in twelve establishments in the municipality, offering the public excellent culinary proposals at affordable prices.
The initiative, recovered in 2024 and which enjoyed a very good reception after two decades without being held, returns with the desire to continue highlighting one of the star products of the estuary, boosting the hospitality industry off-season and consolidating Poio’s position as a culinary reference in the Rías Baixas.
During the presentation, the mayor Ángel Moldes, accompanied by the Councilor for Tourism Rocío Cochón and representatives of the participating establishments, highlighted the strategic importance of this type of initiative. «From the local government we are clear that Poio has two fundamental pillars: the sea and tourism. We are strongly committed to joining forces between administrations, the hospitality sector and sea professionals to promote a product as our own as the clam. We are committed to turning this festival and these conferences into the best getaway for the Campelo Clam and for our shellfish farmers», he said.
During these conferences, residents and visitors can taste the clam in many different preparations, from the classic clams marinara, and traditional dishes such as with prawns, in rice or noodle casserole, to more innovative recipes such as in beurre blanc sauce or with citrus and green tabasco.
Moldes also highlighted the importance of promoting deseasonalization and offering activities that highlight local resources beyond the summer: «We want Poio to be a place where you always want to be. We have natural, cultural and gastronomic wealth to continue offering reasons to visitors during the twelve months of the year, and these conferences are a sample of that joint work», explained the mayor.
The mayor emphasized the fact that quality gastronomy, based on local products, is a differentiating element of the municipality’s tourist offer. «The Clam Gastronomic Conference is not only a culinary event, but also a way to vindicate our seafaring identity, highlight the quality of Poio’s hospitality industry and recognize the work of the shellfish farmers who make it possible for our clam to be recognized as a product of excellence», he added.
ASSESSMENT OF THE CLAM FESTIVAL
These conferences will serve to prolong the good taste left by the 37th Clam Festival of Campelo, uniting two pillars of Poio’s identity: shellfish harvesting and gastronomy. A festival that throughout the weekend had a large audience, from inside and outside Galicia, and that yesterday Sunday sold out all the rations in the three recipes available: marinara, with rice and with noodles.
In global terms, the Clam Festival increased the products consumed during the entire weekend by 20%, including clams, drinks, dessert and bread. With respect to the clam rations, more than 1,500 dishes were distributed since Friday, with the clams marinara being the visitors’ favorite. By days, Sunday was the day that the most rations were sold, with continuous queues throughout the day both to buy tickets and to collect the rations. However, the good sales pace on Friday and Saturday at noon was also remarkable, also achieving very significant figures.
Visitors from all over Galicia came to the Plaza de la Granxa, but also from Asturias, Madrid, Catalonia, Canary Islands, Castilla León, Extremadura, La Rioja, Canary Islands, Basque Country, Catalonia, Valencian Community, Aragon, Andalusia, Balearic Islands, or Castilla La Mancha.
«The Clam Festival has become a gastronomic reference at the national level. This year we had an impressive response from the public, and that is the result of the collective effort of the guilds, shellfish farmers, companies in the sea-industry sector and neighborhood groups. It is an increasingly participatory festival, and that fills them with pride», said Ángel Moldes.
The mayor also highlighted the variety and quality of the festival’s recreational and cultural program, designed for all audiences: «From the youngest to the oldest, everyone found proposals adapted to their tastes. The Clam Festival is already a family and intergenerational event, a meeting point for the neighborhood and for those who visit us», he concluded.
TECHNICAL CONFERENCES THIS THURSDAY WITH THE SECTOR
For her part, the Councilor for Tourism Rocío Cochón also highlighted the commitment to gastronomy as an economic engine, which will allow us to continue advancing in deseasonalized and quality tourism around “pillars of our identity of which we are very proud: the seafaring and shellfish tradition, the best product of our estuary and the excellence of the chefs and hospitality professionals of Poio”.
They also recalled that this Thursday, October 2, the Technical Conferences of the Clam will take place in the Casa Rosada, a meeting that will bring together administrations, experts and professionals around the shellfish harvesting of the Pontevedra Estuary. The conferences will include presentations, round tables with agents from the sector and a showcooking workshop, and have the collaboration of the Ministry of the Sea through the GALP. Initiatives, together with others such as the provision of tourist information officers at the Clam Festival that demonstrate “a clear commitment to showing neighbors and visitors pride in what is ours”.
PARTICIPATING ESTABLISHMENTS CLAM GASTRONOMIC CONFERENCE 2025:
Casa Angelita and Casa Ces (San Salvador).
Casa Laura, Remo and Pinela Terraza (San Xoán)
Lana Nueva Parada, Evoca, Lana Espuela, Arroyo Mar y Tierra, Entrepedras, El Muelle and Pedramar (Combarro)