Successfully conquering an event like the annual Suffolk Ruritan Club Shrimp Feast requires preparation and experience.

After all, as S. Eugene Porter can attest, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

“I got caught short once,” Porter says, never taking his eyes off the task of peeling shrimp. That’s why he makes sure these days to come prepared with his own, new bottle of cocktail sauce and a bowl to pour it into for dipping shrimp.

For some, successfully conquering the Shrimp Feast just requires a lot of travel.

“We don’t have barbecue in Tampa, Fla.,” Lynnette Phelps Hefley says as she comes through the line at this year’s Shrimp Feast. “Not like this.”

Indeed, very few places or events serve up food like this. The Shrimp Feast, an annual happening on the first day of the Peanut Festival, is known for its unpretentious atmosphere and heaping helpings of barbecue, cole slaw and rolls — oh, and also beer — all of which are mere side dishes in comparison to the all-you-can-eat main attraction.

The shrimp are actually cooked the day before, unloaded in batches from a refrigerated box truck, steamed, smothered in Old Bay seasoning, packed in ice and then loaded back on. They stay that way until it’s time to start serving shrimp the next day.

The crowds start arriving in the early afternoon and get their fill of beer and entertainment — country singer Celeste Kellogg has been the crowd favorite in recent years — before the shrimp are served.

When the line forms, volunteers spoon out barbecue and cole slaw and dump shrimp by the fistsful, straight from the boxes filled with ice, onto plates held by hungry fairgoers. Packets of Texas Pete and cocktail sauce are handed out for those less prepared than Mr. Porter.

The shrimp and sides are consumed at makeshift wooden tables, and guests stand while they peel and eat. Some might chat with their neighbors, but others are far too focused on the matter at hand. It’s difficult work, after all, to smack Old Bay off one’s fingers and still look dignified near acquaintances and work colleagues.

The 2016 Shrimp Feast took place on a rainy and dreary day, and some folks in line shunned the roll for fear it would be soggy by the time they found their place at the table. But let’s be honest, the roll only exists to mop up extra cocktail sauce, anyway.

But no matter the weather — rain or shine, cool or hot — devotees of the event never miss out on one savory mouthful.

“We come out here every year,” said Ebony Powell.

Hefley, the Tampa resident, admitted she didn’t come to Suffolk this year solely for the Shrimp Feast, although one can understand why she might have. But it was a happy coincidence that her trip to visit family coincided with the feast.

The Suffolk Ruritan Club deeply appreciates its devotees. The event is the main fundraiser for the club, which supports many other local organizations with donations throughout the year. The club puts on a veterans’ appreciation event every year, and other organizations such as Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts benefit, as well.

So next October, make sure you get yourself a ticket to the Shrimp Feast — and arrive with cocktail sauce in hand.