Hoards of people crawled out of their shells to attend a seafood festival in Whitianga.

The Whitianga Scallop Festival, which is an annual celebration of Whitianga seafood and marine heritage, had a sell out crowd attending today.

Now in its 13th year, the event has grown into one of New Zealand's iconic seafood celebrations.

"The concept of the event is simple –Scallops cooked in a myriad of different ways by talented national chefs, restaurants and community groups and matched with quality entertainment including live bands, seafood cooking classes and demonstrations," says an event spokesperson.

"The event is held inside a purpose built village of marquees over one day, with local venues and café's staging a program of events and theme nights in the four fringing days."