Oistins for Easter!

The southern coast of the island is abuzz with preparation as the 42^nd annual Oistins Fish Festival gets ready to kick into high gear.

The festival, which predates many Barbadians, first took place in 1977 as a joint effort by the leaders of community groups in the Christ Church area. With the help of local public figure Lady Stella St. John and her husband (and later Prime Minister) Sir Harold Bernard St. John, the festival was born, and today continues to thrive in leaps and bounds towards the five-decade milestone. Besides the fun on hand, the festival serves to continue to bring awareness to the town of Oistins, revive business, preserve the fisherfolk culture and their sense of national pride.

Nonetheless, Easter in Barbados is never complete without the staging of the ever-popular Oistins Fish Festival, and this year, the event takes place from April 14 through 23; but, it will not be business as usual for the festival. A big buzz surrounds this year’s events as a new festival committee has started to tease the general public with what’s in store.

The most notable change for this year’s festival is the donning of a new logo, which is a testament to the fishing village’s place as the fisherfolk authority on the island. On April 15, another debut will be made as the first ever Celebrity Cook Off will go down from 6PM to 8PM, with seven local celebrities taking the heat into the kitchen!

Nevertheless, Oistins Festival regulars can still expect to enjoy the usual festivities and events they have come to love and expect. Musical performances by the police band, boat races, cultural performances, road tennis matches, as well as the widely loved dolphin skinning, fish boning and greasy pole competitions are all back in 2019.

Besides the official events on the calendar, from April 19 to 22, bring out the family and peruse the fare on offer at the street market, where local vendors will bring the best of the best in food, arts and craft, toys, home and garden supplies and accessories, clothing and much more!