All roads lead to Island Harbour, the fishing capital of Anguilla, this weekend for two days of Festival Del Mar (Festival of the Sea), a huge and costly celebration now in its seventh year.
The event, which is heavily patronised by locals and visitors alike, is conceptualised as a means of paying tribute to the seafaring heritage and culinary traditions of Anguilla, particularly Island Harbour, the territory’s main fishing village. The event provides an opportunity for the large crowd of patrons to savour a variety of delicacies from the sea, while enjoying a range of social and cultural activities in the water and on the shoreline.
The function involves the close cooperation of an organising committee of members from the community (headed by Othlyn Vanterpool), the Anguilla Tourist Board, LIME Anguilla as platinum sponsor, a number of other sponsors, the Department of Youth and Culture, musical bands, vendors and others. The event is estimated to cost up to US$47,000 in cash and kind. LIME’s contribution is US$4,000 a cheque for which was presented to Mr Vanterpool on Tuesday, April 15, by LIME Anguilla’s Marketing Manager, Ms Jade Reymond. (LIME will take the opportunity to market one of its special products – a US15-dollar rugged handset suitable for fishermen.)
The Anguilla Tourist Board, aside from providing publicity and special coverage by travel writers, has contributed US$5,000 as a boost to the sponsorship money provided by the various other sponsors.
This year, one of the critical complaints is being addressed with the setting up of a booth committee charged with having oversight for price regulation. Patrons have long complained that the festival was being used by many vendors as an opportunity to make as much money as possible – by overcharging for the foods they provide – rather than considering the cultural and community spirit of the event.
The watchdog committee, while acknowledging that vendors should make some profit, has arranged a uniformed pricing system for all categories of food and refreshment services. Vendors are required to display various agreed price lists at their booths – something that has not been seen before. The committee will also be available to deal with other complaints which patrons may have, hindering their full enjoyment of the festival.
The brochure for the Schedule of Events shows that Festival Del Mar will commence at 5 am on Saturday, April 19, with a deep-sea fishing tournament. It will involve Anguillian and St Martin fishermen competing for the largest catch of pelagic species on Anguilla’s fishing banks. Other activities for the day will include a model boat race; a kiddies fishing competition; a sunfish exhibition; a volleyball competition; a B-class boat race at 1.00 pm; performances by Top and De Boy’s String Band; the Mayoumba Folkloric Theatre and the Marching Band. The opening ceremony will take place at 6.30 pm and will be followed by performances by special guest artistes.
Day two of the festival will begin with the traditional crab races from 11 am -3 pm. The other activities will include performances by Happy Hits String Band; swimming competitions; sprint and relay events; the Elliott Webster A-class boat race commencing at 2.30 pm; the culinary competition at 3.00 pm (involving various ways of preparing fish dishes); an Optimist Dingy Exhibition; the prize-giving ceremony at 6 pm; and the Country Concert featuring a number of local singers with Ricci Palmer, the American singer and song-writer, as the headline artiste.
From all indications, Festival Del Mar promises to be a weekend of much enjoyment and cultural activity in Anguilla.
