On Tuesday 7th March the Festival Del Mar Ltd. Committee held a press conference, at the Anguilla Tourist Board, to highlight its plans for the 10th Annual Festival from the 15th to 16th April 2017.
As a starter, the Committee has planned fundraisers including the upcoming official launch – Dinner and Dance – on March 18th at the Art Café building in Island Harbour. The event will feature a three course dinner with music provided by DJ Kastro, and Boss and the Horsepower Band. Dress code is elegantly casual. Tickets are on sale for US $65.00.
Festival Del Mar (Festival of the Sea) celebrates the sea-faring heritage of the Anguillian people and offers locals and visitors alike the opportunity to savour the flavours of a variety of delicacies from the sea, while enjoying activities that take place in, on or around our waters.
The festival hosts a number of food stalls lining the roadways and beachfront of Island Harbour and has become a food lover’s haven. It has gained international recognition from TW2U – Travel With Two of Us – as one of the 8 top Food Festivals in the Caribbean and USA Today deemed it the region’s Best Food Festival, in January 2016.
Another element of this festival is the music provided by local string bands and steel pans, adding to the cultural and festive atmosphere. The series of events planned for the two-day period includes a seafood culinary competition, crab-racing, swimming races, model boat-racing, sun-fish racing and the deep sea fishing tournament. There will also be the Elliot Webster Memorial A Class boat race – and some aspects of Anguilla Watersports Aqua Park will be present.
For the celebration of 10 years of the festival the musical headliner will be Pat Ross, who is a regional country and gospel star. This is the 2nd time she will be gracing the Festival Del Mar stage. Other notable music artistes include Anguilla’s own Mussington Brothers; and Control Band out of St.Martin plus more.
