File photo shows people tasting crayfish at a restaurant in Xuyi County of Huai'an, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Haijun)

NANJING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- An international crayfish festival kicked off Wednesday in Xuyi County, a major crayfish base in east China's Jiangsu Province, offering a feast for crayfish fans.

The event, lasting until June 21, features various activities including crayfish feast, a crayfish cooking contest, musicals and folk customs shows.

Side events of the festival will also be held in countries such as Britain and the Netherlands from July to September, presenting a banquet of food and culture for global crayfish fans, according to the organizer.

Official data shows the output value of Xuyi crayfish reached 13.9 billion yuan (about 2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018. More than 100,000 people in the county have been engaged in crayfish-related industries.